Revivalism in Jamaica
WHAT IS WORShIP Everyone knows about religion and accepts some form of religion, even those who claim that tey are not interested in religion, worship something whether it be their car, house, an idol or a God. People worship to satisfy a human need just like eating and drinking

Revivalism began in Jamaica between 1860 and 1861 as part for a religious movement called the great revival. This period saw the restoration of suppressed and discriminated against religious practices during slavery

Information taken from: http: http://www.anngel.com/ACIJ/history-revivalism.htm
Christian churches however were never fond of the Revivalist Manifestations of the Spirit, where a person in the service would be possessed by these spirits. Therefore participators would only be limited to singing hymns and reading scriptures from prayers, this is where most people in the Revivalist community would not have the satisfaction of worshipping.
From this, Christian groups have been divided into two groups:
• Temporal
• Spiritual
Christian “Spiritual” groups are those who accept the doctrine and the spiritual Possession of spirits while the of the Temporal” are those who do not accept such activities.

Revivalist Bands
Revival bands are an essential part to worship in Revivalism. Pocomania and Zion Revivalist Bands consist mainly of Female members. These women (Mothers) may even become Leaders of the Revivalists bands. Many revivalists in Jamaica are not employed and if employed they usually work within the field of Agricultural Farming, house holding or roadside higglers. Some may be of a higher working class and may be conscious of the status they are trying to retain. They are members of the Revivalist bands but will claim to be a part of Anglican and Baptist Denominations in order to maintain their social and working status. Apart from those of a higher class, most Revivalists are minimum wage earners.
Revivalist Band meetings held in Zion are kept in the “Mission House”, it is a small hut built on site where most of the Revivalist Meetings are held .The mission house is also used to accommodate members who do not have a private home for their selves. Mission houses are not always the same size and are usually part of the Leaders yard space. These Mission Houses are also an essential and play an important role in Pocomania as well.
Mission Houses are important to Revivalist homes, other essential aspects of worship in Revivalism are:
Tall Poles with Flags
These Flags and Poles are used for attracting Spirits and are also used as trademarks for Revivalist Homes.
The Sacred Seal
This is the most sacred area on the ground an is usually located in the centre around the poles
The Altar
One of the most important things in worship, the altar is usually located near the table, it is covered white cloth and flowers.
The Pool
All the Water used in Revivalism rituals and worship comes from this source, the water is usually contained in a small pool or in large jugs.
Huts
Revivalism huts also known as “Offices” are used to accommodate as much as ten people for spiritual healing, private consultations and those seeking guidance against the works of Obeah.

Rituals and Worship in Revivalism

Spiritual Possession
Spiritual possession plays an important role in Zion Revivalism and Pocomanian Revivalism, but a very different in each group:

Spiritual Possession in Pocomania is called “Travelling” which involves an activity called “labouring” in which the individual will begin by experiencing the paralyses of one leg and is then followed by a groaning and bowing motion of the upper body, all of this happens while the individual is being held by bearers. After most of this procedure is finished the spirit possessing the individual will introduce him/herself and the person will perform specific procedures appropriate to his/her position in the band.
Spiritual Possession in Zion is usually referred to as “receiving messages” and in Zion is very distant from the Spiritual Possession that takes place in Pocomania. Groaning is used to signify that the trance stage has begun and and instead of the bowing the upper body, frequent side stepping is made by the individual.

In both Zion and Pocomania spiritual possession can include the individual stumbling and rolling and from time to time the person may fall into an immobile trance that may last for several hours or so. Speaking in tounges is also said to happen during possession, speaking in a foreign language that may not be understood by the “unitiated”.

In Pocomania , a small group of possessed individuals may form a circle. When this occurs the persons being possessed are said to be located as a group within the spiritual world. The group might encounter different obstacles on their way into the spiritual world so the assigned person begins to perform the necessary sounds and dances so that when the group encounters a river, The river maid performs a stimulating dance that imitates the motion of a swimmer in order to guide the group across. The bellringer of the group in the spirit world must imitate the the action and sound of the chime of a bell when arriving at the church in the spirit world. While all of this is happening, it is supported by the singing of the Revivalist groups that are not in the spiritual world at the moment.

In Zion, messages delivered by spirits are referred to as “bands messenger” while in pocomania, the journey is led by a spirit who resides at the ground and is called “Journey Prophet” or “Journeyman”. These spirits are contracted to serve both zion and Pocomania Revivalist Bands in return for their yearly feast on the blood sacrafie.

Prayer Meetings
Prayer Meetings in Revivalism serve many purposes, such as:

To get new Members
To Collect Offerings from Spectators
To Spread the Beliefs of Revivalism
These Prayer Meetings will sometimes include songs, prayers, Bible-readings , scriptural indoctrination and powers of the supernatural. Spirtual Posession may sometimes occur during these meetings.
Information taken from: “Religious Education For Primary Schools Book 5” by B. McLaughlin.

The small religion and movement Revivalism has been striving on for Genreations and continues to strive on for each day that is to come. From the information collected, Revivalism is seen as a unique and diverse religion that has been with us since decades, even though some might not see it as a religion, it is a strong growing religious movement in which member of the religion continue to practise their beliefs up to this day.