BAHAMAS BELIEFS

As many people should know, Bahamas is a touristic place. For a place like this, full of people of many different countries, that goes there to relax, thought that Bahamian society doesn’t have own beliefs and history. But people judge before knowing. And mistakes of cultural information are made.

Open your eyes! Bahamas is a very religious country. Is considered to be one of the countries who has more churches in the world. Christians, Anglicans, Catholics and Methodist live in this island. All together in that piece of land!

It can be said that Bahamas follow the beat of the music, because they live through music; sermons and other litanies are sang, joined by hand-clapping and instruments or hissed.

“It’s a small world after all”; a belief called Obeah similar to the Voodoo in Haiti and was originated in Africa, is practiced. In the U.S department is illegal under a Penal Code, which is a shame because the government avoids/denied a different cultural and spiritual manifestations.  

The ritual consist in transforming energy, renders evil or good, made dreams come true, make and control individual power associated with supernatural forces. It’s a small world because the belief has being carried since 17^th century from Africa to different parts of the world, included Bahamas.

This belief is criticized; but who says which religion or cult is right? Nobody has the power to forbid someone their spiritual devotion.

Many of the readers most know about Atlantis “The lost city”, well, it’s also a Bahamian belief. Known by all around the world, even Walt Disney made a movie. It’s attractive for others, because of the mystery. Things such as explorers or fiction things made someone to be interested on the idea; society buy the idea, and start questioning about it. Things that made a cultural richness.

Bahamas is characterized for being superstitious. Many readers should think that hanging birds on the trees most be strange. But in Adros (the larger island in Bahamas) is very normal to hang mythical creatures in their trees. The legend says that if someone put the creature in a tree, it would be blessed with good luck for the rest of his life. Tradition called Chickcharnies, which refers to a real bird in Bahamas.

It’s amazing how a small piece of land, could have all amazing and traditional things that other cultures consider “crazy” or “weird”, but is respect of different ways of get peace, strength, luck or power.

 

By: Ana Paola Martínez


Sources:
http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bahama-Islands.html
http://www.bahamasgateway.com/culture.htm