The time of the rastamans. Who are the Rastas, their ideology, way of life

The ideology of Rastafarianism was born 400 years ago. The hope of all Africans is to get home, away from Babylon. For many years, American ships took African slaves to America, and their first destination was the island of Jamaica. It was there that this African culture was born. The Rastaman subculture itself originated in 1920, it is built around the cult of hemp (cannabis). It is listening to reggae songs and using marijuana that distinguishes true admirers of Rastafari.

Who are the rastamans?

In simple terms, a rastaman is a fan of smoking weed. Most often these are people with dark skin, but today the subculture has become more popular. So there are also "white people" in the circle of rastamans. Initially, Rastafism was not considered as a drug addiction, it was another outlook on the life of other people, it was a kind of religion. Unfortunately, modern rastas have ruined the culture, turning it into a common pastime with marijuana. The long tradition of African tribes has been tarnished. Rastamans love to spend time with friends who understand their ideology.... They love to reflect, discuss some life events (criticizing politics), and all this accompanied by wonderful reggae music with cannabis grass in their hands. Many rastamans do not use marijuana, they have enough communication and music. As in every subculture, Rastas have their own rules and beliefs, but more on that below.

Rasta clothing style

It is difficult not to notice a true rastaman. Rasta's colors are green, yellow, red. The colors were not chosen randomly, this is the color scheme of the Ethiopian flag. Today, Rasta clothing and style are partially followed. Required attribute must be hat on the head with three multi-colored stripes. Most often, such hats are not bought, but knitted on their own. On a T-shirt or jeans, the cannabis sign is a cannabis leaf. This sign can be sewn into the material or serve as a talisman around the neck. Many Rastas get tattoos on their bodies, in the form of a cannabis leaf or the face of Bob Marley.

Another important distinctive feature that a rastaman should have is dreadlocks on his head. This hairstyle serves as a reminder of ancient African culture. In addition, there is a belief that when the end of the world comes, the God of all rastamans Jah identifies his people by their hairstyleand pulls them out by their hair.

Musical preferences

Of course, the favorite direction in the music of rastamans is reggae. Their idol and God is Bob Marley. This style of rastamans was not chosen by chance, because the present reggae allows you to relax and feel a surge of positive emotions... Rastamans are creative people, they themselves are not averse to playing musical instruments. Most often, the guitar and drums are chosen for the game.

Today, the classic reggae style has been complemented by electronic instruments, styles such as ska, rock-steady, dub, and others have appeared. Per long years styles and background music mixed, but you can still hear those classic notes of real Rastafarian melodies.

Basic rules of rastamans

Each subculture has its own permissions and prohibitions, consider what each rastaman should honor and what he should not do:

• Treat people with love;
• Tell other people about rastamanism;
• Comprehend the meaning of life and philosophize;
• Play drums or other instrument;
• Smoking marijuana.

• You can not drink alcohol (beer, wine, vodka, liqueurs);
• Smoking tobacco;
• Put on other people's things;
• Eating food prepared by another person;
• You can not eat pork, fish, shellfish, drink milk and use salt.

How to become a rastaman?

Today it is quite easy to become a rastaman. All you need to do is wear proper clothing, smoke marijuana, and listen to reggae music. But most modern rastamans stop at this stage. Thus, not realizing that the essence of the Rastafarian subculture lies not only in smoking weed, but also in the knowledge of something more. Many people forget that they are a great subculture that came to us from far away. Her story must be honored and known to every self-respecting Rastaman.

Unfortunately, Rastafarianism is underestimated by the outside world. In fact, this subculture has brought a rich and artistic legacy to generations, including hymns from Bob Marley, perhaps the most exciting of all the works of the 20th century.

19425

Modern representatives of the Rastaman subculture have long departed from the ideology that formed the basis of this movement. The first rastamans were African Americans, their slogan "the hope of all Africans to return to their homeland and get rid of Babylon" called on everyone to get rid of stereotypes and ideology imposed by politicians. By Babylon, the Rastafarians understood "democratic" America. In this article, we will talk about what it means to be a rastaman in the post-Soviet expanses today.

Rastaman's world

A typical pastime for a rastaman looks like philosophical reflections on the meaning of life, rejection of conventions and their own freedom. Typically, these conversations occur over smoking marijuana.

Today, many of those who consider themselves rastamans consider smoking weed to the main sign of their belonging to the subculture. However, this is not the case among true rastamans. Hashish and marijuana are used as part of a specific ritual, and it is believed that this occupation brings the rastamans closer to the god Jah. There are also among the true representatives of this subculture and those who do not use weed at all.

Rastamans do not recognize tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption.

How do rastamans dress?

It is very difficult not to notice a rastaman. The typical rastaman is always dressed in clothes made up of three colors: red, yellow and green. The colors were not chosen by chance, as this is the color scheme of the Ethiopian flag.

Today, the full "dress code" by the rastamans may not be maintained, but there is always a three-color striped hat on the head. As a rule, Rastas do not buy it, but knit it on their own.

On the clothes of the Rastas, there is always a symbol of the subculture - the image of a cannabis leaf or marijuana. It can also be in the form of jewelry or a tattoo on the body.

Rasta hairstyles are dreadlocks that serve as a kind of symbol of the African past. This is also part of the Rastafarian ideology, because in the true subculture there is a belief that when the End of the World comes, Jah will recognize those who worshiped him precisely by their dreadlocks and pull them out.

Rastaman music

Rasta philosophy is always accompanied by the sounds of reggae. Bob Marley is considered a classic in this direction. After him, there were many followers of this trend, but today they have transformed so much that sometimes only the motives of the melodies are borrowed.

Rastamans themselves are not averse to playing musical instruments, mainly drums on which they beat reggae melodies familiar to them.

Rastaman rules

The basic rules of rastamans include:

• love for people;
• comprehension of the meaning of life;
• telling others about rastamanism:
• philosophizing;
• drumming:
• smoking marijuana.

Rastamans also have prohibitions that every representative of the subculture must adhere to.

A real rastaman will not smoke tobacco, drink alcohol, in particular, wine and rum. Philosophical views do not allow him to gamble. He will never put on someone else's thing and eat dishes that have been prepared by other people. There are prohibitions for rastamans and in the diet. So, they are not allowed to eat pork meat, fish, peeled from scales, shellfish, salt and cow's milk.

How to become a rastaman?

In post-Soviet countries, becoming a rastaman is quite simple, you just need to dress appropriately, listen to reggae music and smoke marijuana. However, this is not a correct perception of the subculture and, unfortunately, most "domestic" rastamans do not understand what the true meaning of this movement is and do not know the history of its origin and the goals it pursues.

Rastamans(Rastafarians, Rastafarians) - religious movement, which originated among African-Americans, the descendants of black slaves, including a belief system, type of behavior and musical direction. This movement gained popularity through music. "Reggae"that performed Bob Marley and Alpha Blondie.

In the post-Soviet space, "rastamans" were formed in the early 1990s. Only most of the followers of this do not even have a clue that they actually call themselves followers of the religious and political African movement, they attribute themselves to this group primarily on the basis of their use and.

Cause of occurrence

Actually main idea has been living in the world for about 400 years and its essence is as follows: “The hope of all Africans for a return to their homeland and deliverance fromt Babylon ".

The concept of Babylon in the Rasta culture is considered as follows: we are all initially born in a cell, but we get used to it, mature and stop noticing the shackles that prevent us from freeing ourselves. We are forced to live the way the politicians decide for us, we practically do not have the right to choose (we can only choose in small things), and we always align ourselves with the stereotypes established by the same politicians, getting used to them and considering them to be truly true statements.

Bob Marley preached in his songs that if you stop driving people into some kind of framework, life will improve, and people themselves will be able to decide how to live. He believed that laws give rise to crimes. For Jamaican rastamans, the embodiment of Babylon is America.

For 400 years in a row, ships took African slaves to America, people were ready to accept liberation from any side. And it was at that moment on November 2, 1930 that Ras (Ethiopian "prince") Tafari Makonnen, considered a direct descendant of King Solomon and Queen of Sheba, ascended the throne of Ethiopia under the name Haile Selassie.

Although the Jamaicans received hope, the situation of that time still kept them in place. Their freedom was just words written on paper, far from reality, and Jamaica was essentially still a British colony. That is why they prayed for this to their god Jah in religious chants. And so was born reggae music (reggae), which you will read in more detail below.

What is the ideology of the Rastamans?

Rastamans worship the god Jah. They mixed the Bible and local Ethiopian legends into a single faith. African legends tell of Jah the fighter for freedom and peace, the lion warrior, the great and mighty ruler and protector of all animals. The Ethiopian prince Haile is considered by the Rastamans to be the living embodiment of Jah on earth.
Haile, aka Jah Rastafai, ruled Ethiopia until 1975, preached the idea of \u200b\u200ba non-violent struggle for the liberation "not only of the Ethiopians scattered around the world, but also of people, animals, herbs and other forms of life in general."

From the point of view of rastamans:

can: love people, smoke weed, sit back, grasp the meaning of life, tell others about Rastafari, philosophize, play drums, wear dreadlocks and listen to reggae music;

it is impossible: eating pork, shellfish, salt, vinegar, fish without scales, cow's milk, smoking tobacco, drinking rum and wine, carrying things off someone else's shoulder, eating food cooked by others, gambling, touching the dead, preaching to the unworthy.

Attempts by Rastamans to convert people to their faith occurs with the help of (in the Rasta culture - "the herb of wisdom"). In Jamaica, they call it Brain food. By their legend , she first grew up on the tomb of King Solomon, who was considered the wisest of the wise. According to the Rastamans, it helps a person come to God and truly understand this world.

How do rastamans dress?

Red, yellow and green are the colors you will find in the clothes of every Rastafari and they symbolize the color of the Ethiopian flag. Initially, Rasta lovers mainly opted for loose, baggy shirts and linen pants, as such clothes are ideal for the hot Jamaican climate.

Now baggy pants have been replaced by more comfortable jeans, but the Rastafarians remained unchanged for the colorful berets that cover the dreadlocks (dreadlocks), which are indispensable for the Rastman, as they serve as a reminder of African roots, the mane of the Rastafarian warrior lion and are also part of the ideology that sounds like this: "When the End of the World comes, the god Jah recognizes the rastamans by their dreadlocks and, having hooked on them, will pull them out."

What kind of music do rastamans listen to?

Reggae, reggae (raggae) is a cult music dedicated to the god Jah. "Reggae music is the vibrations of all the bright people of this world," said the "father" of reggae Bob Marley. It was he who turned this music into a weapon in the fight against oppressors and replaced religious texts with political ones.

Since the days of Bob Marley, reggae has sprouted many new sprouts. Appeared dub (Afro-Caribbean music in electronic form), ska (a mixture of Jamaican reggae with R&B from Miami; stands for "Snake it, catch it again!" - like "Humpty Dumpty!"), rock-steady (reggae with a touch of soul) and others.

Groups became the Russian-speaking discoverers of Rastaman music "Sunday", "Aquarium" and "Cabinet"... True, they only used reggae rhythms in their work. Now you can meet a huge number of Rastaman bands performing their music in Russian. Some of the most famous are: Decl, Dzha Divizhin, Roma V.P.R... and many others.

The subculture of Russian Rastamans managed to acquire Rastaman folklore, and the linguist and writer Dmitry Gaiduk gained wide popularity, who in the first half of the 90s began to collect and process the oral works of Ukrainian and Russian Rastamans, and in 1995 created the Rastaman folk tales project. Now he often travels to different cities and reads fairy tales in front of an audience at various events.

Currently, on the street you can find a large number of rastamans or young people who call themselves rastamans, who attribute themselves to this group primarily on the basis of their use and.

Consequences of eating and hashish

The addiction to marijuana develops gradually, several months are enough, so a person may not notice how he cannot live without it. Unlike alcohol, marijuana can cause hallucinations the first time you use it. The harm of marijuana has been proven. The drug affects the work of all major organs: heart, lungs, reproductive system in men and women. Due to smoking herbs, bronchitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, lung cancer, tachycardia, low blood pressure and many other diseases occur.

Smoking weed greatly affects thinking ability, coordination of movements. Anyone who has been smoking this drug for a long time has emotional imbalance, anxiety, poor memory, and an inability to understand. People who use marijuana and hashish are unable to concentrate because the drug has a profound effect on the brain. There are visual hallucinations, fear, experiences of persecution, severe psychological disorders, and subsequently - dementia, schizophrenia, depression, there is a complete degradation of the personality. It's like a slow death.

Also, as a result of cannabis abuse, apathy, loss of motivation occurs. A person does not want to develop, study, do his job well and even monitor his appearance. The consequences of this are the destruction of a career, family relationships ...

Anyone who uses marijuana becomes withdrawn, restless, unbalanced, aggressive. It has chronic fatigue, nausea, persistent headaches. At the same time, a strong psychological dependence on the drug develops, an increase in the dose of the drug leads to an overdose and even death. And those who do not have enough money to buy drugs are involved in crime.

Marijuana is not a soft drug, it is the same drug as the rest, which leads to mental addiction, destroys a person's life and leads to the suffering of loved ones.

First, let's turn to the all-knowing Wikipedia.

Rastamans are followers of the Rastafarian religious movement. The name of the subculture comes from the name of the last emperor of Ethiopia, Ras Tafari Makkonen, who after the coronation took the name Haile Selassie.

It was he who, subsequently, was endowed with divine power by the Rastafarians and named him Jah (distorted from “Jehovah”). According to one of the legends, the Rastafari believe that all earthly mankind originated in Ethiopia, it was on her land that there was paradise.

They also believe that the Bible was originally written in Amharic (the official language of Ethiopia), and later translated into Hebrew.

According to one of the interpretations of their Bible, blacks were given by the god Jah into slavery to white people as punishment for their sins and, therefore, must live under the yoke of "Babylon", awaiting the coming of the Messiah, who will return all blacks to their homeland in Ethiopia.

"Babylon" is an abstract concept of the modern pragmatic industrial world.

It will not be difficult to spot a rastaman. They usually wear bright red-yellow-green (these are the colors that make up the flag of Ethiopia) voluminous hatsfrom under which dreadlocks stick out - pigtails of hair whipped into tangles.

It is by them that Jah will recognize her followers and, in the case of the Apocalypse, will pull them out of the abyss. Rastas also wear baggy clothes with the symbols of a revered culture - this is a cannabis leaf, wear appropriate jewelry (beads, bracelets).

Philosophy

Rastas immerse themselves in their reflections to the sounds of reggae music, a classic example of which is the work of Bob Marley. But the Rastas themselves play their own music, beating the rhythms of reggae on drums.

Smoking marijuana is allowed as part of some divine ritual, bringing the rastaman in this state closer to the god Jah.

Commandments

Rastamans, like all believers, have their own rules, which they try to strictly follow, as the god Jah bequeathed them:

• respect the traditions of Rastafari and the traditions of other religious cultures;
• honor humanity;
• preach Rastafarianism;
• philosophize;
• smoking marijuana;
• comprehend the meaning of life.

In addition to the commandments, there are also prohibitions among the followers of Rastafarianism. Taboos are imposed on smoking tobacco, drinking strong alcohol, gambling, all this is contrary to philosophical beliefs.

There are also gastronomic bans. So they are not allowed to eat pork meat, fish, shellfish, peeled from scales, salt and drink milk.

Rastaffari in Russia

Rastafarianism in Russia found followers in the mid-1990s and coincided with the fall of the “iron curtain” separating Soviet citizens from other world cultural, religious, and musical trends.

Post-Soviet Rastafarians have nothing to do with true followers of Rastafarianism.

They smoke intoxicating mixtures, wear tricolor hats, allow themselves to mess around, listen to reggae music, but at the same time they are not the original followers of the idea of \u200b\u200bAfrican supremacy, because they do not have the slightest idea about the history of the origin of the original subculture and its philosophy.

Rasta ... Rasta is cool
Rasta is all clear
Rasta is all I.
Rasta, Ras Tafara Sila-Ya.
Everything will be fine
Rasta is all I.

(c) Ark

This is a story about culture and religion. About the music and lifestyle of thousands of people around the world. A story for those who do not know the difference between a rastafarian and a dread, Rastafarianism and reggae ... For those who wear dreadlocks and smoke weed and on this basis call themselves a rastafarian. For those who sing and dance, who love life, Jah and Africa. For those who fear for their children, who wear red-yellow-green scarves and listen to Bob Marley. For all.

Who is a Rastaman? - Rastafarians are the followers of Rastafarianism. What is Rastafarianism? - One of the little-studied and therefore contradictory religions. Its roots go back to the XIV century. BC, when Moses married an Ethiopian (Numbers, 12). Since then, the idea of \u200b\u200ba kind of "spiritual center of the world" in the Nile Valley, in the "cradle of humanity" - a huge region that includes Egypt in the north and Ethiopia in the south has developed.

However, in order to understand what today's Rastafarian is, it is enough to start the story from the thirties of the last century, when the word "Rastafarianism" arose.

Marcus Garvey

It all started out trivially. In 1887, Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica, who, later becoming a politician, founded the World Association for the Advancement of Blacks on August 1, 1914. The goal of the Association, he announced the building in Africa of a state with Negro self-government.

But Garvey was too radical a racist, and in business he became famous for untidiness, so over time he found many enemies in the Negro movement. And yet, it was he, in his books and fiery speeches, who predicted the coming of the Messiah, who would appear in Africa and help all blacks in Jamaica and the nearby Caribbean islands.

Ras Tafari Makonnen, Emperor Haile Selassie I

On November 2, 1930, he was crowned and proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I. Ethiopia is the only country on the African continent that has not been colonized, and he became its 225th monarch. Selassie was a representative of the Holy Solomon dynasty, leading from the legendary Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Before the coronation of Haile Selassie, his name was Ras Tafari Makonnen. Ras, derived from the name of the god Ra, means the Ethiopian prince. And Tafari Makonnen is the name and surname of this offspring of the Ethiopian kings.

When this happened, the followers of Marcus Garvey decided that the prophecy had come true and recognized their savior in Tafari. They declared Selassie the "Black King" and their god. And they called themselves "Rastafari", or in short - "Rasta".

Tafari successfully ruled for 44 years. He abolished slavery in Ethiopia, wrote the first Ethiopian Constitution and, as a military leader, participated in several battles with the Italian fascists.

Jah Rastafara

So, the Jamaican Rastamans considered Tafari the incarnation of God in man and called it Jah Haile Selassie.

Inset: Jah (Jahveh, i.e. Yahweh) – one of the names of God. IN english translation The Bible, known as the James I Bible, says: “Sing to our God, sing to His name, exalt the One who walks in heaven; His name is Jah, and rejoice in His presence ”(Psalm, chapter 67, verse 5).

True, he himself not only did not consider himself a god, but he was not a Rastafarian either. “I doubt that man can be an incarnation of God,” the Emperor of Ethiopia modestly admitted. However, when the Rastas approached him, he responded and arrived in Jamaica on April 21, 1966. About two hundred thousand fans were waiting for him at Kingston airport! For an hour, the emperor did not dare to leave the plane. The inspired Rastas saw their black messiah only after the famous Rasta leader Mortimer Planner addressed the crowd and then assured the guest of his complete safety.

Rastaman's dream

What did the rastamans of Jamaica want? Brought to the island and enslaved by Europeans, they dreamed of returning to Africa. The society that Europeans created and in which immigrants from the African continent had to live are called Babylon by the Rastas. This is almost the entire civilized world - a gloomy city where everyone speaks different languages and strive for profit. According to the biblical legend, Babylon must one day fall apart - fall apart under the weight of its sins. By the way, it is about this "Babylon" that is sung in the song of the same name by the once popular Jamaican group "Boney M".

Unlike the "Babylonians", the Rastamans have an ideal relationship with nature. Like their peasant ancestors, Rastamans continue to believe in the unity of all life on Earth and in the fact that nature consists of various elements and forces inextricably linked with each other. Some elements of nature in their view are transformed into others, and this is the meaning of reincarnation. Rastafarians are not interested in the "good" of the civilized world, with its heartlessness and greed. They gravitate towards their roots and strive for freedom.

Unlike all other religions, where the main task of the believer is to find the deep sacred meaning of life, the Rasta religion proclaims: the meaning of life is joy. You just need to live in harmony with nature, feel Jah in yourself, sing and dance praise to him! However, the omnipresent Babylon interferes with singing and dancing. Where can Rastafarians finally be free? Of course, in their distant historical homeland - in Africa!

Rastafarian politics and religion

After the proclamation of Jamaica's independence in 1962, Rastafarianism went underground. This happened despite the ongoing conflicts between the rastamans and the police over drugs and attempts to revolt. The Rastamans strove for a dialogue with the authorities, especially since the sect's influence was growing. According to various estimates, in the 60s there were from 70 to 100 thousand rastamans on the island. They got access to radio, the opportunity to publish their own newspapers and brochures, their articles were published by a university magazine.

From religion, Rastafarianism smoothly flowed into a political movement. The street philosopher and poet Ras Sam Brown contributed a lot to this. Confusing biblical and "scholarly" vocabulary with the marketplace, he preaches his own worldview: “Each of the human races has its own religion. Unlike other religions, the Rastafari culture did not pass from father to son like Christians. We ourselves, having studied volumes of historical books, learned that in the present, XX century a king from the family of Jeoseev will rise (Jeosey is the father of David; his grandson Solomon and the Queen of Sheba are considered, as already mentioned, the founders of the Ethiopian Solomon dynasty), who will become God Almighty for his people and the liberator of all oppressed Earth. We, the Rastafarians, are the true prophets of this century, the reincarnated Moses, Jesus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, destined to free not only the scattered Ethiopians (blacks), but all people, animals, herbs and all forms of life in general. "

With his associates, Ras Brown compiled The Complete Rastafarian Bible, and in 1982 it was published in London. This Bible begins with the "Book of Genesis," which contains the basic commandments formulated by Brown.

In particular, a rastaman is prohibited from:

Desecrate the appearance of a Man with cuts, shaving, tattooing, disfiguring the body;

Accept the pleasures provided by the current society and its vices;

Be seduced by handouts, titles, and riches that are seduced by enemies in fear.

It is necessary:

Observe vegetarianism;

To love and respect human brotherhood;

Reject hatred, jealousy, envy, deception, treachery, betrayal, etc. The Rastaman is obliged to lend a hand of mercy to any brother in trouble, first of all to those who are from the Rastafari order, and secondly to anyone: whether a person, an animal, a plant, etc.

Bob Marley

The desire of black slaves to return to their ethnic homeland, as well as other Rasta values, are glorified in the songs of Bob Marley, the leader of The Wailers. Impressed by the speech of Haile Selassie I in the League of Nations in 1963 (Selassie was an excellent orator), Marley wrote his famous song "War", which made him the idol of the Rastamans. Lines: “Open your eyes and look into yourself. Are you happy with the way you live? We know where we are going, and we know where we came from: we are leaving Babylon for the land of our ancestors, ”became the motto of the Rastamans all over the world.

After Bob's death on May 11, 1981, the Rastas proclaimed him a saint and began to call him Bob Jah Marley.

In addition to Haile Selassie, Race Brown and Bob Marley, there were other bright personalities among the Rastafarians.

The feeling of a rastaman

The ever-widening spread of Rastafarianism and its division into religious and political currents have generated contradictions in the views of Rastafarians around the world. But there are basic criteria that are common to all.

A Rastaman is a person who follows the path of Jah and adheres to certain life rules. The Rastaman always speaks the truth, in the Rastaman the concepts of responsibility, honesty and obligation are highly developed. Moving forward, the rastaman defends his position by all methods, except for murder and robbery. A Rastaman smokes marijuana, calling it ganja (ganjah), or sensimilla. The Rastaman does not drink alcohol, does not eat meat, does not smoke tobacco. The Rastaman does not go to doctors, does not take medicine, the Rastaman is sure that Jah will cure him of any disease. Or send him a new incarnation.

Rastafarian creativity

Rastaman rules allow you to live in harmony with nature, feel free and liberated, hope for unity with the center of the world.

In addition to the natural way of life, there is another important means of emancipating the mind of a rastaman. This is an amateur art.

Every rastaman is inclined to write poetry, draw, sculpt, engage in folk crafts, but the main thing is to sing and dance. Young people strive to regain their identity lost in Babylon and therefore create their own culture, developing artistic creativity. The most popular type of creativity of Rastafarians, as you know, is music.

Reggae

The religious chants of the Rastas laid the foundation for the reggae musical style. This is a cult music dedicated to the god Jah. “Reggae music is the vibration of all the bright people of the world,” said Bob Marley.

Inset: Reggae (English reggae, spellings - "reggae", "reggae") - a style that grew out of the combination of African musical tradition with North American styles of soul and rhythm and blues.

In the community "Mystical revelation of Rastafari" in 1949, a group of the same name was formed, headed by the Rasta patriarch Count Osei. And the first disc was recorded with Rastafarian hymns. It was already almost reggae, but still without power tools.

In parallel, callipso and mento styles developed in Jamaica. In the mid-1950s, the ska style emerged from their mixing and the strong influence of American pop music. And then the harder Rocksteady and the "juice" style - a mixture of frivolous callipso and disco. In all these styles, the principle of "question and answer" in vocals and syncopation has been preserved.

With the appeal to the language and ideas of the Rastafari, the element of cult music intensified, and the bass guitar took over the role of the bass drum. This is how the unique and mesmerizing reggae sound developed - viscous and rhythmic at the same time. This is a "positive vibration": on 4/4 with percussive first and third beats, in contrast to rock, where the stress is usually on the second and fourth beats. At the same time, drums - simultaneously a bass drum and cymbals - especially emphasize the third beat of a measure (the famous "One Drop" technique).

The lyrics of reggae songs almost without exception boiled down to the presentation of the ideas and prophecies of the Rastafarian movement. Sound systems were rapidly spreading new reggae music throughout Jamaica. It was customary for Rastafarians to listen to songs thoughtfully, with attention and respect for their content. But since the youth also wanted to dance, the recording studios released records where on one side there were songs with lyrics, and on the other they were the same, but without vocals. But soon everyone got used to dancing to "religious-political" songs.

The general fascination with reggae in the 70s and 80s led to the fact that the beliefs and customs of Rastafari - one of the most unusual world subcultures - became known all over the world. Reggae records are more Rastafarian sermons than just albums of popular music. This is the power of art. The music of Bob Marley has done more to popularize the urgent tasks of the African liberation movement than several decades of painstaking work of international organizations of revolutionaries.

Rasta language

Along with the reggae texts, the language created by the rastamans - "I-Words", or "Dread Talk", also spread. The Rastamans endowed their language with a mystical meaning. For example, "I" ("I") in writing coincides with the Roman numeral I, which was included in the name of a living god, and in sound - with the English word "eye". Therefore, this word was revered as a symbol of the deity that is present in every person, and the inner vision, given by God. Instead of “we”, one should say “I and I” (I&I) - this was the name of the entire Rastaman brotherhood as a whole.

"Rasta" or "Ras" is a positive concept, it is an ideal, a primary source, a connection with Africa, with the god Ra, whose name is present in the very name of Rasta. Rasta is the primordial vibration of the African spirit fighting for progress, self-expression and self-affirmation. "I" is a sea of \u200b\u200bfree (but latent) energy, and self-knowledge of "I" goes only through the growth, discovery and mobilization of this energy.

Reggae musicians were very responsible for their language, claiming that its popularization through lyrics contributes to the spread of the views of the Rastafari. Indeed, the assimilation of the Rasta language as a fashionable jargon involuntarily forced even those who did not sympathize with the world to look at the world through the eyes of the Rastafari: “Africa”, “Zion”, “Babylon”, “YaiYa” entered the lexicon of young people for a long time. They might not have for everyone the deep meaning that for the Rastamans, but they still presented the world in a new light. Everyone has now learned that the black man owns a rich cultural heritage hidden under the layer of Babylonian rubbish.

The appearance of the rastamans

In addition to language and music, many attribute the special appearance of its adherents to the Rastafari culture. We have already formed the idea of \u200b\u200ba rastaman as a man with dreadlocks on his head, in loose clothing of red-yellow-green colors, with the image of ganja. But this is not necessary - the external attributes of the Rast are not considered paramount. The Rastaman should really cultivate and be proud of the African image. But the main thing is that the distortion of the natural appearance of a person is not allowed.

Dreadlocks

There is a myth that Rastafarians are required to wear dreadlocks, which serve as a reminder of African roots and lion's mane. According to this myth, when the end of the world comes, the god Jah by his hairstyle will be able to recognize a rastaman and, grabbing his dreadlocks, pull him to heaven. But this is just a myth. Any hairstyle that does not require the use of harsh chemicals, hot curls, dyes, etc. - quite acceptable. And it is clear that a person who eats meat or resorts to medical care cannot be considered a rastaman just because he wears dreadlocks.

Inset: Dreadlocks, dreadlocks, dreadlocks (from the English dreadlocks - frightening curls) - the traditional hairstyle of the Jamaican Rastafari. Hair is braided into many strands that retain its shape for a long time. As the hair grows back, the hairstyle forms naturally without combing or cutting with scissors.

Clothing and jewelry

There is an opinion that a rastaman should completely abandon wearing jewelry and using cosmetics. This is also not the case, because Africans have always worn gold, silver and other jewelry, and they were the first to use cosmetics.

It is not hard to guess that the color scheme that symbolizes the Rastafari is nothing more than the flag of Ethiopia. Although some also associate these colors with the Garvite banner (followers of Marcus Garvey), black takes the place of yellow. The red color symbolizes the blood shed for freedom among the Rastamans, green - paradise, life and Africa, as the promised land, and yellow is light, the sun, and African gold.

The marijuana leaf is also a favorite symbol of Rastafarians. On reggae albums, musicians are often portrayed either in clouds of haze, or in hemp bushes, or with a leaf on their T-shirt. But this is not just a symbol. For a rastaman, "weed" is an object of religious worship, with reference to Scripture (Gen. 1:12; 3:18; Exodus 10:12; Ps. 104: 14).

Marijuana in the life of a rastaman

Bob Marley in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine said: “When you smoke weed, it opens your eyes to your own essence. All your unworthy deeds become apparent thanks to the weed. This is your conscience, and it gives you an honest picture of yourself. This is a pure natural product, it grows like a tree and makes you indulge in contemplative reflection ... ".

At the same time, Rastas are very concerned about their health, preferring a natural diet, and are distinguished by longevity. Apparently, the ban on smoking tobacco and alcohol affects, while marijuana is used for ritual purposes and is never combined with stronger drugs.

Rastafari in Russia

In Russia, Rastafarianism penetrated, as in other countries, with reggae music. And this happened relatively recently, about thirty years ago. The groups "Voskresenye", "Aquarium" and "Kabinet" became the pioneers of the music of rastamans. True, they only used reggae rhythms in their work.

Serious researchers bypassed the "Rasta-reggae culture" with their attention. But she attracted the interest and sympathy of M. Naumenko, B. Grebenshchikov and other masters of the Soviet youth subculture. After all, reggae is the music of inner freedom and rejection of the usual world order. Grebenshchikov in one of his songs in reggae style announced: "I take mine where I see mine: white Rastafari, transparent gypsy ...".

The first Rastamans really wanted to see a deliverer and a messiah in the Tafari Makonnen Race. And the Soviet fighters against the system began to use Rastamanism as their way of freeing themselves. They used symbolism with a cult meaning, composed reggae about their problems, weaving there stories about both weed and Jah. And they did not pay attention to those who said that Rasta, sung by Bob Marley, is marijuana, but Rasta cannot flourish in our country: it does not mature, the climate is not the same ...

Then, already in the 1990s, a special youth subculture of Rastafari was formed in the post-Soviet space. Its representatives call themselves rastamans - primarily on the basis of the use of marijuana and hashish. Many listen to Bob Marley and other reggae artists. Others wear clothes in the colors of the Ethiopian flag, and some wear dreadlocks.

But these "Russian" Rastamans are not true adherents of the original religious and political doctrine of African supremacy. And many have no idea of \u200b\u200bits existence at all. Few of them advocate the return of American blacks to Africa, much less follow a Rastafarian healthy lifestyle.

But many are engaged in creativity: today in Russia there are a lot of musical groups performing reggae. For example, "Shamansky Beat", "Dub TV", "Green Point", "Caribbean", "Heat Protection Committee" and, of course, the "main reggae" - "Jah Division".

Peace to your home

…
Positive, positive, no alternatives.
And I just want to live, to love this music.
Peace to your home!

A corner of wildlife, the planet of happiness and freedom,
There is no death, the sun is light, many, many long years,

Hey people
Peace to your home!

(c) Republic of Jah