National Spiritual Baptist Day in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Date in the current year: May 21, 2025

The Spiritual Baptist faith is a syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion that originated among Afro-Caribbean communities in the former British West Indies, particularly in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Virgin Islands. It combines elements of Christianity with traditional African spiritual practices and beliefs. Despite the unique traditions and rituals of the Spiritual Baptist faith, its adherents identify strongly as Christians.

The origins of the Spiritual Baptist faith are not well documented, but the consensus is that it developed among people of African descent in the 19th century. One theory is that it was brought to the British West Indies by the so-called Merikins, former American slaves who fought against the United States in the Corps of Colonial Marines in the War of 1812. After the war, they settled in Trinidad, bringing with them the Baptist faith combined with elements of African culture.

The Spiritual Baptists were called “Shouters” or “Shakers” because their style of worship included intense prayer, shouting, singing, hand clapping, and rhythmic dancing. Colonial authorities considered their unique style “too noisy” and ““too African” and deemed it uncivilized and unacceptable. In addition, official churches began to lose their congregants to Shouter/Shaker prayer houses. As a result, the Spiritual Baptist faith was outlawed by the Shakerism Prohibition Ordinance of 1912 in Saint Vincent and by the Shouter Prohibition Ordinance of 1917 in Trinidad.

Despite the ban, Spiritual Baptists persevered and continued to practice their faith in secret. In Trinidad and Tobago, the ban was lifted on March 30, 1951. On May 21, 1951, the Spiritual Baptists of St. Vincent and the Grenadines won a court case against the oppressive laws in which they were represented by Milton Cato, the future Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However, it took over a decade for the 1912 ban to be officially repealed; it was formally lifted on March 22, 1965.

After their victory in court, the Spiritual Baptists of St. Vincent and the Grenadines celebrated its anniversary as Liberation Day. In 2002, the Parliament of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines passed a law declaring May 21 as the Spiritual Baptist Official Recognition of Freedom to Worship Day. It was an official day of recognition, but not a public holiday. In August 2024, Parliament amended the list of public holidays to designate May 21 as National Spiritual Baptist Day.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not the only country to have a public holiday dedicated to the Spiritual Baptist faith. In Trinidad and Tobago, Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day has been celebrated every March 30 since 1996. It was established to commemorate the repeal of the 1917 Shouter Prohibition Ordinance on that date in 1951.