MAGAZINE
BRINGING YOU THE WORLD OF RASTAFARI AND REGGAE
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AUTUMN 2020 | £4 ORDER AT
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HAPPY 7 6TH EARTHDAY
PETER TOSH
FEATURING AN INTIMATE INTERVIEW JUS’JAHmagazine WITH NIAMBE TOSH | A 2020 utumn
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CALENDAR
THE RASTA CALENDAR
There are several key events that are of historical and cultural significance to Rastafarians. These special dates are celebrated throughout the year. Here are some of those important dates in the Rasta calendar.
GENA OR GENNA
THE BATTLE OF ADWA
January 7th (Annually)
March 1st (Annually)
Gena is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebration of Christmas. Often called Rasmas by Rasta communities.
On this date in 1896, the first war was fought between Ethiopia and Italy, in the town of Adwa. Menelik II lead Ethiopia’s 100,000-strong army to victory against the Italians, who wanted to colonise Ethiopia.
ROBERT NESTA MARLEY EARTHDAY February 6th (Annually) Bob Marley, was born on this day in 1945, in Nine Miles, Jamaica. His earthday is celebrated by Reggae fans and members of the Rasta community in Jamaica. Celebrations usually take place across the island, but also at Marley’s home, which is now the famous Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road, Kingston. 6
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EMPRESS MENEN I EARTHDAY April 3rd (Annually) Rasta’s honour the earthday of Empress Menen Asfaw, who was the wife of Emperor Haile Selassie I. According to the Ethiopian calendar, she was born on Magabit 26 1881. This translates to April 3rd, 1891 in the Gregorian calendar. She founded the Empress Menen School for girls and did extensive charity work in her homeland.
CALENDAR AFRICA DAY
MARCUS MOSIAH GARVEY EARTHDAY
May 25th (Annually)
August 17th (Annually)
(PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY)
Is the annual celebration of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now known as the African Union. The OAU/AU was set up on May 25th, 1963, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Two of the founding fathers were Emperor Haile Selassie I and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.
LEONARD HOWELL EARTHDAY June 16th (Annually) Leonard Howell is regarded as the ‘First Rasta’ and was born 1898. He began preaching about the crowning of Ras TafarI Makonnen in 1933. Howell formed one of the earliest Rasta communities called Pinnacle, in St. Catherine, Jamaica.
HAILE SELASSIE I EARTHDAY July 23rd (Annually) Haile Selassie I’s earthday is one of the key dates in the Rasta calendar. He was born in 1892. His name at birth was Tafari Makonnen. His father was Makonnen Wolde Mikael and his mother was named Yeshimebet Ali. His earthday is acknowledged in the Rastafari community with traditional Nyabinghi celebrations.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. ONH is revered as a prophet for the RastafarI movement. His earthday (birthday) is celebrated annually, by Garveyites, Pan-Africanists and Rastas.
ETHIOPIAN NEW YEAR September 11th (Annually) The Ethiopian calendar is seven years behind the Gregorian calendar. Enkutatash is the word for Ethiopian New Year in Amharic the official language of Ethiopia.
PETER TOSH, EARTHDAY October 19 (Annually) Peter Tosh was born on October 19, 1944 and was a founding member of The Wailers. He was fondly known as the ‘Stepping Razor’ or the ‘Bush Doctor’. Many use his earthday to remember his life, activism and timeless music.
ROYAL ETHIOPIAN CORONATION November 2nd (Annually) The Rastafari movement commemorate the anniversary of the Coronation of Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw, which took place on this date in 1930.
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TWELVE
TRIBES CHART T
here are three main branches in the Rastafari faith. They are Nyabinghi, Bobo Shanti and Twelve Tribes. These branches are often called houses or mansions. The Twelve Tribes of Israel branch
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was founded by Vernon Carrington, who is fondly known as Prophet Gad, in Kingston, Jamaica. The chart is based on Jacob’s 12 sons and corresponds with the ancient Israelite calendar.
HIS
MAJESTY SAYS “H
istory teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity.
- HIM Haile Selassie I
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