Bob Marley
"Rastafari not a culture, it's a reality..."
Rastafari History
Ethiopian Flag w/ Lion 2
"The Zion train is coming", was one psalm of Bob Marley directed towards the current emperor, at the time, of Ethiopia Haile Selassie. Zion meaning peace and freedom or Utopia (place of unity), not to be confused with Babylon (place of evil/the western world) which is considered the opposite of Zion, was a common used word in many of the Rastafari beliefs. Africa or more exact, Ethiopia is known as Zion, the Rastas wish to replenish and revive the people of Ethiopia with their prayers to Jah and faith towards the Rastafari movement. Back in the 1930s Halie Selassie was Emperor of Ethiopia up to 1974. He was believed to be the founder of the rastafari movement and even believed to be the return of Jesus Christ. Believing that he could create a pefect world, the rasta followers put faith in believing that Selassie could lead them to paradise "Zion". Even after his death in 1975 the Rasta people still believe that his death was a hoax that one day he will return and take them on the Zion train.Another part of the Rastafari religion is the appearance. Most commonly seen are the dreadlocks worn by many of the Rasta people, and people grow out the 'dreads' as an expression of inner spirituality and to emphasize their personality.Most importantly the dreadlocks on a rastas head represents and symbolic to the Lion of Judah (which can sometimes been seen as the flag of Ethiopia).
