Spiritual Baptist Day in Trinidad and Tobago

Spiritual Baptist is a religion that developed from similar faiths in several Caribbean countries. It combines elements of Protestant Christianity with African customs and rituals. The Baptist faith in Trinidad is a legacy of the Merikin community. The 'Merikins' were African-American refugees of the War of 1812 – freed slaves who fought for the British against the Americans during the war of 1812. Following the end of the war, the Merikins established a community in the south of Trinidad. They brought the Baptist faith, having been part of evangelical sects common in places such as Georgia and Virginia. In 1917, practising the religion was prohibited under the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance by the British colonial government. The reason given was that the noise created their services was disturbing the peace. The ordinance was introduced by then-attorney general Sir Henry Gollam who described the way members of the faith worshipped as an "unmitigated nuisance." Another possible reason behind the ban is that the leaders of the other established religions saw the popularity of Spirtual Baptists as a threat. For the next 34 years, it was against the law to take part in a Shouter Baptist service or use a property for that purpose and the penalty was a fine of $240. {read more}