You don’t have to dread to be Rasta”, original song is by Morgan Heritage. No, this is not a song review; it’s a concern about the misconception of the whole dreads crazie. In other words, not everyone with dreadlocks is a Rasta because for the Rastas, it’s more than just a dreadlocks thing.
Not everyone with dreadlocks is a Rasta because for the Rastas, it’s more than just a dreadlock thing.
Would you for example call a mad man with dreadlocks, a Rasta whose hair naturally turned into locks because of dirt and not washing it? On the other hand, it should be acknowledged that letting the hair grow naturally into locks or matted hair was originally a Rasta thing. Rastas shun scissors, razors, and shavers, leaving the hair to grow into locks.
Many who believe in the Rastafarian movement, culture and philosophy often let their hair grow naturally into matted hair locks. Dreadlocks can be grown naturally or artificially by threading, waxing which is done in the saloon.
A Rastafarian or Rasta is a religious person, following the beliefs of the Old Testament, taking solace and encouragement in the parallels between Judaism and the struggles of the enslaved black man, sharing similar diet restrictions, the Star of David and the belief that they too will be restored to the homeland, Zion, (Ethiopia).
Rastafarism arose in Jamaica in the 1930s to empower the black man; however the movement allows any person who agrees with the theories to join. Rastas don’t eat pork nor shellfish, they see alcohol overuse as a weakness. When smoking weed/ganja, they feel at peace and it’s during that time that they meditate to Jah (God).
Having dreadlocks is associated to Rastafarians but how many of the dreads actually follow the Rasta culture or follow their beliefs? Yes, in this modern world today, being dread or the “dread thing” has become a fashion trend rather than a Rasta thing.
Rasta or not, having dreads is a cool thing and dread people love to flaunt them. When it comes to ladies, it’s just as good as having braids. These days, hair dressers have learnt a mechanism of how to make artificial dreads by threading and one can actually have them for over 10 months and not change but just by repairing, waxing and washing them using water. It’s rather a cheap way to keep hair neat especially for ladies.
People with long dreads past the shoulders usually turn heads because it’s such a great achievement to grow them that long.
It takes a lot of commitment, patience and lifestyle and that’s why people like that are directly related to Rastafarian movement, they are often referred to as “Rasta”.
