Rastafari Table of contents

Rastafari emerged in the 1930s in Jamaica. A central belief is that the Ethiopian King, Haile Selassie I (1892-1975), is the living God. Tafari Makonen was the birth name of Haile Selassie […]

The Bible in the form of the King James Bible is a holy book for Rastafari, but not all of the contents are acceptable. They believe that the Bible as it was […]

A number of preachers emerged in the 1930s in Jamaica with similar messages about black self-determination and Haile Selassie I as the black messiah. Among those recorded by historians were Leonard P. […]

The central revelation for Rastafaris is a prophecy by Marcus Garvey, in conjunction with the ascension of Haile Selassie to the throne. Garvey preached in 1916 (although this is often dated as […]

The Rastafari do not have a formalised structure with anointed leaders. Elders are generally given respect; this is considered something they earn through living the Rastafari way for many years. As such, […]

Haile Selassie I was deposed in 1974 by Marxist revolutionaries and died the following year on 27 August 1975 in suspicious circumstances. His ignominious fall from power and death undermined the idea […]

There is no formal, central organisation of Rastafari. They avoid bureaucratic or hierarchical organisations, which they see as characterising the social structures of Babylon. They reject governments, especially the colonial British government […]

Rastafari is more about a way of living than an acceptance of doctrine. An early codification of morality was written as ten principles by the Jamaican Rastafari elder, Sam Brown (1925-1998), who […]

A ritual celebration is called a ‘duty’, but there is no obligation to attend. Participation in ritual and ceremony is voluntary. In all types of Rastafari ritual, ganja (a form of marijuana) […]

Birth is celebrated with a Binghi, the same can be held for a formal marriage ceremony. However, it is not necessary, and a man and woman living together are regarded as married […]

The following holy days are observed by Rastafari: • Ethiopian Christmas on 7th January. Ethiopian Christmas is observed on the date of the Orthodox Church celebration of the birth of Jesus, usually […]

Many of the Rastafari stories or mythology surround Haile Selassie I. One of the founding myths is that Haile Selassie was descended from the child of the Queen of Sheba and King […]

A central symbol for the Rastafari is the lion. One of Haile Selassie’s titles was the ‘Conquering Lion of Judah’. Representations of lions can be seen on Rastafari houses, flags, tabernacles, and […]

For some Rastafari, there is no specific building for worship; they meet for weekly reasonings in believers’ home or a community centre. In Jamaica, it is more common for Rastafari to live […]

Chanting, prayer, and meditation are part of Rastafari ceremonies. Meditation is a way to be in communion with Jah, and through which they come to realise what is true or false in […]

The main religious journey for Rastafari is repatriation, or return to Africa. This journey seeks to reverse the forced movement of black slaves from Africa to Jamaica and other colonies by the […]

Rastafari ‘dread-talk’ or lyaric is a conscious construction of language as a form of religious and political expression. It is based on the Jamaican dialect, or patois, in particular the syntax and […]

Rastafari have been very influential for the artistic and cultural works of Jamaica, including literature, poetry, painting, sculpture and carving, ceramics, theatre, dance, and music. Rastafari use art as a medium for […]

Rastafari identities focus on trying to recreate themselves in their image of Africans. This means rejecting ways of living associated with Babylon and adopting those of Rastafari. It is an elite and […]

Despite the Rastafari rejection of the ways of Babylon, for much of the movement’s history their family structure has reproduced the patriarchal system that also characterised the colonial society of Jamaica. The […]

Different denominations are called ‘houses’ or ‘mansions’ of Rastafari. Three of the oldest and most significant are the Twelve Tribes, Bobo Shanti, and the Nyabinghi Order. The Twelve Tribes of Israel call […]

Christianity is seen as the religion of the oppressors. Slaves in Jamaica were excluded from the Anglican Christianity practised by British colonials because it was seen as too sophisticated for them and […]

Rastas experience spiritual states through smoking ganja, drumming, and chanting. Religious experience is a way of testing whatever they hear to discern its truth. There is an avoidance of dogma and an […]

“There is nothing neither bad or good, but thinking makes it so” (Barrett 1977: 140). Early preachers focused on the identity of God. God as a black African king undermined the status […]

Science is seen as Babylon’s tool. It is part of technocratic imperialism. Rastafari try to turn away from the materialism, mass media, and commodity fetishism of white European supremacy. There is an […]

Rastafari oppose abortion and contraception, which they see as a colonial strategy to suppress the African population. Some Rastafari women do still use contraception, however. Medicines can be a problem, Rastafari do […]

Marijuana has been smoked since the time of the Pinnacle commune in the 1940s. The specific form of marijuana smoked is known as ‘ganja’ in Jamaica. It is a sacrament for the […]

There is a dominance of individualism among Rastafari. ‘I and I’ is a philosophy of radical individualism. Jah dwells within each person. Each person is held responsible for him or herself as […]

The individualism of Rastafari is balanced by an ethic of unity. This is a way of bringing Rastas together for communal purposes. All black people are thought to descend from common ancestors […]

Rastafari endeavour to live in harmony with nature, as part of the oneness with Jah. ‘Mother Nature’ or ‘Mother Earth’ is divine and to be revered as Jah’s creation. ‘Sitting in the […]

Rastafari has extended beyond Jamaica, to the UK and USA in particular. There are also smaller Rasta populations in Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, and other countries. Some Rastas have no ethnic link […]

Information on Haile Selassie’s home during his exile in Bath, UK: https://www.fairfieldhousebath.co.uk/ ‘Jamaican Religions’ on The Pluralism Project: http://pluralism.org/religions/afro-caribbean/afro-caribbean-traditions/jamaican-religion/ ‘Rastafari’ on BBC Religion: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/rastafari/ ‘What Do Rastafarians Believe’ on Jamaicans.com: http://jamaicans.com/believe/ ‘Rastafari’ on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari ‘Understanding Rastafari’ […]

Barnett, M (ed.) (2012) Rastafari in the New Millennium: a Rastafari reader. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. Barrett, L. E. (1977) The Rastafarians: the dreadlocks of Jamaica. London: Heinemann. Campbell, H. (1985) Rasta and Resistance: […]