Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day 2023: Date, History, Facts

Spiritual Baptist is a Caribbean-originated religion. It integrates Protestantism with African traditions and cultures. In Trinidad, the Merikin community abandoned the Baptist religion.

Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day is a March 30 public holiday. Spiritual Baptist is a fusion of Protestantism and African beliefs in Trinidad and Tobago. From 1917 to 1951, the colonial administration of Trinidad outlawed the Spiritual and Shouter Baptist religion. To gain reverence for their religion, Baptists chose to refer to themselves as Spiritual Baptists rather than Shouters. After extensive lobbying, the Repeal of Shouter Prohibition Ordinance was enacted in March 1951, granting Spiritual Shouter Baptists religious freedom. The festival is marked by processions, church services, performances, and religious observances.

The background of Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day

Spiritual Baptist is a Caribbean-originated religion. It integrates Protestantism with African traditions and cultures. In Trinidad, the Merikin community abandoned the Baptist religion. The Merikins were ex-slaves who fought for the British against the Americans during the War of 1812. The Merikins settled in southern Trinidad after the conflict. They presented the Baptist doctrine after leaving evangelical groups in Georgia and Virginia.

1917 saw the passage of the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance by the British colonial authority. The stated reason was that their performances were noisy. Sir Henry Gollan, the then-Attorney General, introduced the legislation, labelling the religion’s worship a “unmitigated nuisance.” The leaders of other established religions may have viewed Spiritual Baptists’ success as a threat. Participating in a Shouter Baptist service or using a property for this purpose was punishable by a $240 fine for the next 34 years. Spiritual Baptists shout, applaud, sing noisily, and ring bells during services. In an effort to gain respect for their religion during Prohibition, Spiritual Baptists abandoned the name Shouter Baptists.

Once the law was abolished in 1951, the Spiritual Baptists were granted religious freedom. Prime Minister Basdeo Panday established Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day in 1996 to commemorate the repeal of prohibition and the struggle for religious freedom. It has become customary to ring freedom chimes across the nation to honour the independence and diversity of the present day. Trinidad and Tobago is the only country that celebrates a Spiritual Baptist public holiday.

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