 
Barbados
Religion
"The Hub of Barbados Culture"
 Barbados religion is
at the hub of
Barbados' culture with more than 100 established religions throughout
the island. This island is therefore a very religious one with priests
and leaders of these Barbados religions having a great impact on the
culture of the island and its people.
Most families attend some type of
church
mass or religious gathering at least once a week.
This commonly takes
place on a Sunday. You will therefore notice the island
pretty much shuts down on Sundays with only gas stations and some
convinence stores remaining open. Most major supermarkets
also operate on a Sunday but for reduced hours. After attending Sunday
mass, families will usually
get together for lunch at home or spend the day relaxing on
the beach.
Religious gatherings in Barbados take
place
in a variety of places. Most Christians attend mass in
churches,
with Anglican churches being some of the largest and most magnificent
buildings of worship in Barbados. You will definitely spot a few of
these churches throughout your Barbados vacation. However many
religious
worshipers gather in anything from large buildings and halls to small
homes.
If you decide to attend a religious mass while on vacation in Barbados
you will be more than welcome at any Barbados church service.
Now lets take a look at the various
religions in Barbados....
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Christianity
in Barbados
More than 80%
of the island are Christians with the majority belonging to The Church of England.
This is due to the fact that the first religion introduced to
the island was Anglicanism
and still remains the
main
religion in Barbados.
Anglicanism
 The
Anglican Church is a branch of the
Christian faith and was established in my Caribbean island by the
British settlers of the 17th century.
This faith makes up
about 40% of
the island's population. You will therefore notice more than 50
Anglican churches spread through the island during your Barbados
vacation.
Roman Catholic
The Roman Catholic Church makes up 12%
of the island's population.
Most Roman catholics in Barbados will attend church in
Barbados as early as 6:30 / 7:00 am Sunday mornings. However many Roman
Catholic churches have a mass on Saturday evenings.
Seventh
Day Adventists
There is also a large population of Seventh Day Adventists on the
island. Followers of this denomination observe Saturday as
the Sabbath as opposed to Sunday. This is due to the fact
that the seventh day of Judeo-Christian is believed to be Saturday.
Barbadians following this religion of Barbados therefore will
not perform any kind of activities from sunset on Friday to sunset on
Saturday including
work, going to the beach or any other form of entertainment.
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism makes up 8%
of the island's population.
The main difference with this religious movement within
Christianity is their strong inspirations and their connection with God
through the Baptism of The Holy Spirit with a focus on The Gifts of The
Holy Spirit. Pentecostals believe in practicing these gifts,
one of which includes the ability to speak in tongues.
Methodism
About 7% of
the island are Methodists. This Barbados religion is a branch
from the Protestantism, a movement within Christianity.
Other
Christian Denominations in
Barbados
Quaker, Mormonism, Moravian, Jehovah's Witness and Evangelicalism are
some of the remaining Christian religions movements that are practiced
by
people of this island.
Other Religions in Barbados
Rastafarianism
There is also a large number of
followers of Rastafarianism on the island. This is a
monotheist
Abrahamic religion that has origins linking to the East
African
country of Ethiopia and the Caribbean island of Jamaica.
Rastafarianism was introduced to Barbados in 1975.
 Followers of this
religion in Barbados are referred to as Rastafarians or Rastas.
When
people
think of rastas and the Caribbean they usually think of Bob Marley and
Jamaica.
However the span of this religion is widespread
throughout the Caribbean and Barbados too is home to hundreds of
Rastafarians.
A few distinct characteristics of this faith
include the belief in one single God referred to as "Jah" who is the
form of the Holy Trinity. Therefore Jah is believed
to
be God The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
They are
also
distinct in their spiritual use of the Cannabis plant. This
plant
is smoked and is believed to clean the body and mind, heal the soul and
bring believer closer to Jah.
Without a doubt you will see a
number of Rastafarians during your Barbados vacation. They
can be
identified by their distinct dreadlock hair and by the colourful attire
they wear displaying the colours of black, gold, red and green.
However there are a large number of Barbadians who sport the
same
style of hair and attire but are not followers of this faith.
Apostolic
Spiritual Baptists /
Tie-Heads
You
may also notice that there are a few people in Barbados who dress in
colourful gowns and wear cloth turbans around their heads.
This
small group of Barbadians are followers of the Apostolic Spiritual
Baptist religion and are referred to by locals as "Tie-Heads".
This Barbados religion is the only religion indigenous to
our
island and was founded in 1957 by Bishop Granville Williams.
The different colours worn by Tie-Heads represents the
individual's specific qualities.
This unique Barbados
religion combines African and Christian practices with very
energetic Christian services. The church services are
characterized by up-beat music, the stomping of their feet, the
clapping of their hands and dancing similar to many African dances.
Hinduism
Even though Barbados is made up of 90% black and
4% white people there is a small community of East Indians living on
this island. The majority of these Indians practice Hinduism.
Small
Religious Movements
Islam, Judaism and Muslim are followed by a small number of
people of different diverse backgrounds.
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