RASTAFARIANISM

RASTAFARIANISM

Jamaica is the home of Rastafarianism, a religious movement spurred by the beliefs of famous Jamaican Marcus Garvey and inspired by an Ethiopianist reading of the King James Bible. Rastafarian beliefs are Christian, with a Jamaican twist.
Ethiopian Prince (Ras) Tafari is at the center of the religion; Rastafarians believe him to be the messiah. In 1932 Tafari was crowned emperor Haile Selassie. Selassie himself claimed lineage from the biblical Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Garvey's followers proclaimed him to be a prophet, as he had spoken of an Ethiopian leader who would take control and who would be the messiah. Selassie became their messiah, having ascended to the throne as Garvey predicted.
Ethiopia is associated with heaven on earth, and souls are said to return there after death. Rastafarianism also includes beliefs about the worlds of the living and the dead associating; these stem particularly from beliefs of the now-creolized Obeah and Myal religions on Jamaica.


Conversion Process: There is no centralized body of Rastafarianism, and therefore no strictly agreed upon rules of conversion exist. Becoming a Rastafarian is as simple as following the teachings of the late Emporer Haile Selassie. And no, you are not required to grow dreads or smoke grass to become a Rastafarian … but why the hell wouldn't you?

Judgment Day: Unfortunately, if you are white, you are probably a part of Babylon -- the white political power structure that has been holding down blacks for centuries -- and are probably not eligible for much forgiveness at any time. For everyone else, the question is if you really want to pass judgment day -- see below.

Afterlife: A disappointment. Rastas consider Ethiopia to be "Heaven on Earth" and don't believe in any eternal heaven or hell. For those of us who sang "We are the World" during elementary school graduation: we're not fooled.

Bells and Whistles: Did we mention the skunk weed?

Overall: 3. Although it combines the ease of Christianity with the fun of trying to speak in a Jamaican accent -- some-ting I and I jus' kyan resist! -- Rastafarianism's overall score was ultimately dragged down by the whole Ethiopia rip-off.

Entertainment

Entertainment

Cricket and soccer are the most popular sports in Jamaica, and dominoes are the favorite board game. The Jamaicans are also fond of table tennis, field hockey, tennis, boxing, mountain biking, hiking, to swimming, sailing, windsurfing and athletics. The plays written and performed in courtyards attract a large audience. Music and dance are very important in the lives of many Jamaicans, the gospel; reggae, soca (calypso) and dance hall music are very popular. This music incorporates elements of reggae, disco music and rap. The Soca is very popular during Carnival; a great spring festival is celebrated with parades, costumes and parties. During free time, they often go to bars to listen to music while sipping a glass of rum. There are many clubs, community centers and clubs. Other recreational activities include watching television, videos, going to movies, have parties on the beach, picnic, fly kites, go to festivals and participating in community meetings or church.

Clime

Clime

Jamaica has a tropical climate characterized by wet conditions all year and high temperatures from 19 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees Celsius. It has two rainy seasons between May and June and between September and November. The climate of the island has to face the dangerous hurricanes that hit this area mainly during the months of June to September.

Holidays

HOLIDAYS

Jamaican official holidays are: New Year's Day (January 1), Ash Wednesday, Easter (Friday to Monday), Labor Day (May 23, a day dedicated to the improvement projects community), Independence Day (August 26), the National Heroes Day (third Monday in October) Christmas Day (25 December) and Boxing Day (December 26).

* Independence Day

Independence Day is celebrated with traditional music and dance, and exhibitions of agricultural products, arts and crafts.

*The National Heroes Day

Is a system of national honors and awards in 1968. The third Monday in October is observed as National Heroes Day.
The system of Honours and Awards consists of five Orders as well as the Medal of Honour and the Badge of Honour. The Orders are as follows:
-The Order of National Hero
-The Order of the Nation
-The Order of Merit
-The Order of Jamaica
-The Order of Distinction (Commander and Officer ranks)

The Order of National Hero
The Order of National Hero is awarded for services of the most distinguished nature rendered by Jamaican citizens to Jamaica. This honour is awarded either on the retirement of the recipient from active public life or posthumously.

The Order of the Nation
This order is to be conferred upon persons appointed to the Office of Governor-General.

*Boxing Day
That celebration comes from the British tradition of delivering service employees small gifts in boxes. Although the term was taken from the British, the Jamaicans traditionally spend the day visiting relatives and friends.

* Aniversary of the coronation of Haile Selassie
A very important holiday for the Rastafarians is the anniversary of the coronation of Haile Selassie, former emperor of Ethiopia, regarded by Rastafarians as the Son of God or the Messiah. The original name of this man was Tafari, and Ras means Duke. The day celebrates the consecration of children to Rastafari, recitations and songs.

* Jamaican Christmas Traditions

The Grand Market and Jonkonnu are the most popular Easter celebrations. The Grand Market is a community fair that combines food, street dancing, crafts and music. Markets throughout the island are filled with posts from vendors selling toys, balloons and all kinds of candy and sweets, including cakes Pinder (African word for peanut or peanut), some great cakes and peppermint sticks.

For Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), some markets are decorated with streamers, balloons and bells accordion-shaped. Local residents wear their most colorful and picturesque costumes, with bright hats purchased from the Grand Market. This fun event is like a magnet that draws people to town for celebration that lasts all day and even at night.

The Jonkonnu is a traditional Christmas celebration in which the gay participants parade through the streets with amazing costumes, following a custom which transplanted African slaves to Jamaica. Bands Jonkonnu include a mix of traditional and modern characters, such as Cow Head, Horse Head, King, Queen (this wearing a veil), the Devil, Pitchy-Patchy, the Red Indians, the Belly Woman (a character who dresses to simulate having a pregnancy with a huge belly) and the Police, a gendarme "of pretend" that seeks to keep the crowd in order.

Jamaica's History

Under British rule, Jamaica became a busy and wealthy colony. By the 18th century, the island was "the jewel of the British crown", producing 22 percent of the world's sugar on large, lucrative plantations. This success came at great cost to the African people, thousands of whom were forcefully brought to the New World as slaves.

As a result of the cruel and oppressive slavery system, Jamaica had more revolts than other West Indian islands. Reports of frequent slave uprisings and other forms of resistance, coupled with brutal planter-militia reprisals, troubled the European conscience. In time, anti-slavery sentiments grew strong in Europe, culminating in the Emancipation Act of 1834. The Act made provision for all slaves under the age of six to gain immediate freedom. All others were to serve a period of apprenticeship for four to six years. The apprenticeship period worked well in theory. In practice, however, it was little better than slavery. Planters continued to abuse their apprentices, and withheld guaranteed provisions and wages. Subsequently, full emancipation was granted in 1838, two years earlier than planned.

Eager to sever connections with the symbol of their enslavement, many labourers left the plantation, settling across the island. To provide an alternative, affordable workforce, the planters recruited indentured workers from China and India. After their period of indenture, many Chinese and Indians stayed on the island, adding to Jamaica’s eclectic mix of cultures.

After 1838, sugar productivity and profitability declined, forcing Jamaica to diversify its economy. Although crops such as bananas and coffee provided sound substitutes, other industries eventually became the driving force of Jamaica’s economy, outgrowing agricultural exports.

Two important and significant changes – universal adult suffrage in 1944 and independence from Britain in 1962 - set the stage for a people once conquered, controlled and constrained, to become themselves the architects of a new nation.

Typical Food

Typical Food

Jamaica is famous for their great tasty to the food and cooking. The Jamaican food is spicy and is usually seasoned with Jamaican Jerk seasoning.

*Jerk seasoning is a style of cooking native to Jamaica in which meats are marinated with a very hot spice mixture called Jamaican jerk spice. This is the most popular for seasoning and cooking meat, fish and vegetables. Jerk seasoning is based mainly on two topics: allspice (called "pimento" in Jamaica) and Scotch bonnet peppers (among the hottest peppers on the Scoville scale). Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, onion, vinegar, soy, garlic and rum. That is famous around the world and loved by visitors to the island.

*Ackee and saltfish: The national breakfast dish is ackee and saltfish. Ackee is cooked and looks much like scrambled eggs. You won’t find ackee for sale in the United States because it is poisonous until it’s ripe.

*Merey the devil: This fruit brought from Africa has become one of the most used ingredients in the kitchen island. With it you can prepare fish, soufflés and other popular recipes.

*Pasties: Check with the English colonization, mainly made of meat or vegetables.

*Blue Mountain Coffee: It is recognized as one of the best in the world, is taken by English royalty, but their production is very limited, so its price is very high.

*Rabbit Rum: Rum is always present in the kitchen and throughout the life of the island. This dish requires at least 2 days of marinated and preparation, and is notable for its intense and exotic flavor.

*Bulla - A spicy bun.

*Bun - A favorite Easter dish, bun is a spicy bread eaten with cheese.

*Cowcod soup - Another one of those infamous Jamaican aphrodisiacs, cowcod soup is usually sold at roadside stands and includes bananas, pepper and white rum.

*Curried goat -You just don’t get any more Jamaican than curried goat. Look for it on any traditional island menu. It’s especially popular at festivals and parties.

*Duckanoo - The recipe for duckanoo was brought from Africa. This delicious dessert is made with cornmeal, coconut, spices and brown sugar, all of which are tied up in a banana leaf (hence its other names, Blue Drawers and Tie-A-Leaf) and slowly cooked in boiling water.

*Escovitch - Escovitch is a style of cooking using vinegar, onions and spices brought to Jamaica by the Spanish Jews. In Jamaican grocery stores you can also find bottled escovitch sauce to make the preparation easier.

*Fish tea - This spicy soup looks and tastes much better than it sounds. Like a fish bouillon, this broth captures the taste of the sea. Watch out for fish bones when you eat this popular favorite.

*Mannish water - This spicy soup is reportedly an aphrodisiac (along with many other Jamaican specialties). Mannish water is sometimes called power water, and is made from goats’ heads (some cooks include tripe and feet as well), garlic, scallions, cho-cho, green bananas, Scotch bonnet peppers and spinners. White rum is an optional ingredient. Often, men enjoy mannish water before drinking rum, but this item is a rarity on restaurant menus – it’s usually sold at roadside stands, along with roasted yam.

*Red peas soup - Another one of Jamaica’s famous soups, this one is made from kidney beans, salted pig tails, beef and vegetables.

*Rundown - This entrée is pickled fish cooked in a seasoned coconut milk until the fish just falls apart or literally “runs down.”