Rastafarian

I know you have heard of Bob Marley, and I'm sure you enjoy dancing to amazing reggae music. You might even like wearing those fashionable three-color wrist bands or have tried tying your hair in a dreadlock. If you don't know, Bob Marley, reggae music, and three-color ensembles all have one thing in common: Rastafarian.

Although often linked with the impoverished black people of Jamaica in the Carribean, Rastafarian actually originated from Africa. In truth, Rastafarian is more than merely a religion; for blue-blooded Rastas, it is a lifestyle. The Rastafarians speak against injustice, oppression, and discrimination. They revere Haile Selassie I, the former Ethiopian emperor as Jah (a truncated version of Jehovah), and the name Rastafari actually came from Ras (which means Duke) Tafari Makonnen, the name of Haile Selassie I, prior to his coronation.

There are about a million Rastafaris worldwide as of 2000. Rastafaris does not eat meat, and they pattern their vegetarian diet to the Deuteronomy and Laws of Levictus contained in Old Testament. The Rastas also consider Ganja or marijuana to be sacred, and their usage of this is solely for sacred purposes only. Bob Marley is probably the most widely-known Rasta. But even though I like reggae music and Bob Marley, I would not fancy myself as a Rasta--- I just couldn't give up meat.