Nah-Shun All Spiritual Baptist Day

TUZ-DEY DIS WEEK was Nah-shun-all Spiritual Baptist Day (also known as Spiritual Baptist Liberay- shun Day), ah Religious Public Holly-dey.

And come nex’ Mon-dey another Religious Public Holly-dey, “Pentecost” one of Christianity’s greatest event dat took place 50 days after Jesus’ Resurrect-shun; aka “Whit Sunday”.

Formerly it was named “White Sunday”, had nothing to do wid race. Actually de dress-code long ago, was foh new Believers (candidates) to be baptized wear White garments. Ah keep saying “ look way Bapteasehim come to.” When I was baptized at Indian Bay Beach, ah wore ahYellow pants and Red T-shirt, to hutup Ralph and Fry-dey head. Professor of His-Story Doc Fraser, told me de only difference in my Bapt-is-him is dat ah went in de sea dry and came out wet.

On ah serious note though. Somehow ah think our ancestors- Slaves- understood quite well dat abolish-shun meant de job contract was over not like de $250,000.,Lotto contract money.

And Eman-see-pay- shun meant dey were free, and part ah de Freedom was dat dey could resume de Religious Rights and Practices of dey Black ancestors, dey Abrahams, Moses, Josephs-from Mother Africa. But Massah saw how much Spiritual power, energy and courage, de Slaves possessed, dey survived de middle passage, crossed de Atlantic in lickle boats wid no engine, survived slavery by Faith in dey daily Praise and Worship sessions, and Massah said dats Obeah, “No Freedom of Worship any-way near de plantay-shun.

Those of us born before 1951 should remember what ah spiritual Baptist Meeting was like.

Lively street concerts, under ah pole wid ah kerosene lantern, members shaking/jumping wid lighted candles, melodious singing, hand-clapping, drumming, ringing dat bell. Usually dey would “catch de spirit,” shout in unknown tongues and even “pass-out!” Doh ask about ah Wake: “third night, nine night and 40 night Services after ah death.

Singing all night drinking coffee or cocoa tea, bakes and buns etc.

Ah cutting de story short.

Needless to say Spiritual Religious Worship was too much foh de White-man or Co-loan-yell masters, and on October 1, 1912, de British Par-liar-mint passed ah Law called : “ Shaker-is-him Prohibit-shun Ordinance, banning all Spiritual Baptist public meetings at home or far away; street corner or in de privacy of de lickle (mud walls and grass roof) House of Worship. Was “lix in de police van!” Saints were arrested and charged in courts foh praising God. Things eventually got completely out-ah-hand, and in 1939 George “Papa Mack”Mc Intosh ah local Druggist and Par-liar-men-tree Rep, kickup ah stink in de House, raised object-shun to de draconian Bill and de many reported cases of Human violate -shun meted out to de Saints.

But it was not until 1951 when Hon’ R.M Cato, ah Lawyer, later P.M, won ah land mark case in de Georgetown courts foh Spiritual Baptist Freedom of Worship dat around de same time in T’NT all hell broke loose when de ban on Religious Freedom was officially repealed. Records also show dat Hon E.T. “Pappy Josh” Joshua took up de armory of words, no Guns or Sword, and fought de battle for Spiritual Baptist Religious Freedom of Worship.

Future generation of Spiritual Baptists must be constantly reminded of de “one man-is-him” role played by dey Brother Parnel Campbell, Deputy Prime Minister and Attorney General, ah full-fledged spiritual Baptist who was appointed Lord Chancellor of the Archdiocese of de Spiritual Baptists.

And finally kudos to former P.M Ralph Gone-soft who on August 27, 2024, had his Go-venom-mint along wid full backing from both sides of the House of Assembly, passed in Parliament the Bill creating May 21st a public holiday in honour of the Spiritual Baptist faith in SVG. And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

_ Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.