The story behind the day
Coronation Day, 2 November, remembers the crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen as Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia in 1930. For Rastafari, who regard him as God made flesh, the coronation fulfilled a prophecy and gave their movement its name. They keep the day as a holy day, with nyabinghi gatherings.[1–4]
Origins
Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned on 2 November 1930, taking the name Haile Selassie, which means the power of the Trinity, and the titles Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and King of Kings of Ethiopia. He had been born Tafari Makonnen in 1892 and held the title ras, meaning prince, before his coronation. He reigned until a coup overthrew him in 1974, and he died in 1975. Marcus Garvey is remembered for telling Black people to look to Africa for the crowning of a king; his saying is dated variously between 1916 and 1927, and it survives in Rastafari oral tradition rather than in the written record. Many in the African diaspora, and in Jamaica above all, saw the coronation as the fulfilment of that prophecy, though Garvey himself was no admirer of the emperor.[1, 5, 7–12]
What it marks
Rastafari hold that Haile Selassie is the living God, Jah, and for them his crowning was a revelation. They read his titles, King of Kings and Lion of the Tribe of Judah, in the Book of Revelation as signs that he was the promised one. Rastafari emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s, when the first preachers proclaimed the newly crowned emperor the messiah of Black people. Among them were Leonard Howell, Joseph Hibbert, Robert Hinds and Archibald Dunkley. The movement took its name from the emperor's earlier name, Ras Tafari. Howell's community, the Pinnacle, was destroyed by the police in the 1950s.[2–3, 13–17]
How it is kept
Rastafari observe 2 November as a holy day. Nyabinghi gatherings are held for the coronation, and at Shashemene in Ethiopia the date, together with the emperor's birthday, draws both local and international crowds. Nyabinghi is the larger of the two Rastafari drumming rituals, and the binghi celebrates a liturgical event over several days. Other holy days include the emperor's birthday on 23 July and the birthday of Marcus Garvey on 17 August.[4, 6, 18–19]
Sources
Each statement above was checked against published sources; the verdict says whether it stood as written, was corrected or was hedged.
- Verifiedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Salter, Encyclopedia.com; Chevannes, Encyclopedia.com.
- Verifiedscielo.org.za, Scielo; Allen Williams, Encyclopedia.com; cdamm.org, Rastafari.
- Verifiedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Salter, Encyclopedia.com.
- CorrectedChevannes, Encyclopedia.com; Bonacci, WRSP.
- VerifiedLOC, Ethiopia: A Country Study; Podesta, Encyclopedia.com.
- CorrectedChevannes, Encyclopedia.com; Bonacci, WRSP.
- Verifiedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Salter, Encyclopedia.com.
- CorrectedPodesta, Encyclopedia.com; Smithsonian Education; Salter, Encyclopedia.com.
- VerifiedPodesta, Encyclopedia.com; cdamm.org, Rastafari.
- Correctedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Salter, Encyclopedia.com.
- Correctedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Chevannes, Encyclopedia.com.
- Correctedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Allen Williams, Encyclopedia.com.
- VerifiedSalter, Encyclopedia.com; cdamm.org, Rastafari.
- Verifiedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Edmonds, Encyclopedia.com.
- Verifiedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Allen Williams, Encyclopedia.com.
- VerifiedSalter, Encyclopedia.com; cdamm.org, Rastafari.
- CorrectedSalter, Encyclopedia.com; cdamm.org, Rastafari.
- Correctedcdamm.org, Rastafari; Chevannes, Rastafarians, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, on the Encyclopedia.com page.
- VerifiedSmithsonian Education; Chevannes, Encyclopedia.com.