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{{short description|African-American holiday created in 1966}} | |||
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{{About||the river in Angola|Cuanza River|the currency|Angolan kwanza|the album by Albert Heath|Kwanza (The First)}} | |||
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{{Infobox holiday | |||
'''Kwanzaa''' (or '''Kwaanza''') is a week-long ] secular holiday primarily honoring ] heritage. <ref name="Why Kwanzaa">{{cite web|url=http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html|publisher="]"|title="Why Kwanzaa Video"|}}</ref> It is observed from ] to ] each year, almost exclusively in the ].{{fact}} | |||
|image = Kwanzaa Candles-Kinara.svg | |||
|caption = 7 candles in a ] symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa. | |||
|observedby = ], parts of ] | |||
|date = December 26 to January 1 | |||
|celebrations = {{ubl|Unity|Creativity|Faith|Giving gifts}} | |||
|type = Cultural and ethnic | |||
|significance = Celebrates African heritage, unity, and culture | |||
|relatedto = ] | |||
|nickname = | |||
}} | |||
{{African American topics sidebar}} | |||
'''Kwanzaa''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|w|ɑː|n|z|ə}}) is an annual celebration of ] from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called ''Karamu'', usually on the sixth day.<ref name="Why Kwanzaa">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-MY8I_kwJY&list=PLJMZrovNFcP-idSz-hriEx3xaSXWNtpBw&index=1&ab_channel=AHSSociety| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/c-MY8I_kwJY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|work=]|title=Why Kwanzaa Video| date=November 2008|access-date=December 7, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was created by activist ], based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of ], ], as well as ]. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. Twenty-first-century estimates place the number of Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa between 500,000 and 2,000,000.<ref name="Scott2009"/> | |||
Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of ], and culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was founded by ], and first celebrated from ], ], to ] ]. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures. | |||
__TOC__ | |||
==History and etymology== | ==History and etymology== | ||
American ]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilde |first1=Anna Day |title=7 Mainstreaming Kwanzaa |journal=We Are What We Celebrate |date=December 31, 2020 |pages=120–130 |doi=10.18574/nyu/9780814722916.003.0009|isbn=9780814722916 }}</ref> ] created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the ]<ref>Wilde, Anna Day. "Mainstreaming Kwanzaa." Public Interest 119 (1995): 68–80.</ref> as a non-Christian,<ref>{{Citation |last1=Blumenfeld |first1=Warren J. |title=Christian Teachers and Christian Privilege |date=January 1, 2009 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789087906788/BP000009.xml |work=Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States |pages=133–149 |access-date=December 7, 2023 |publisher=Brill |language=en |doi=10.1163/9789087906788_009 |isbn=978-90-8790-678-8 |last2=Joshi |first2=Khyati Y. |last3=Fairchild |first3=Ellen E.}}</ref> specifically African-American, ].<ref name="Kwanzaa Date">{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00B1EFD395C0C738FDDAB0994DB484D81 |work=] |title=The Evening Hours |date=December 30, 1983 |access-date=December 15, 2006 |first=Ron |last=Alexander}}</ref> Karenga said his goal was to "give black people an alternative to the existing holiday of ] and give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708095122/http://media.www.brookhavencourier.com/media/storage/paper807/news/2008/11/24/News/Kwanzaa.Celebrates.Culture.Principles-3560412.shtml |date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> For Karenga, a figure in the ] movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of such holidays also underscored the essential premise that "you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose, and direction."<ref name="Mayes2009">{{Cite book |last=Mayes |first=Keith A. |author-link=Keith Mayes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vhgk72OGBRYC&pg=PA52 |title=Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition |publisher=] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0415998550 |location=New York |access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref>{{rp|63–65}} | |||
According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the ] phrase ''matunda ya kwanza'', meaning "first fruits".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kwanzaa1.html |title=Kwanzaa – Honoring the values of ancient African cultures |author=Holly Hartman |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> ] festivals exist in Southern Africa and are celebrated in December/January with the ]. Karenga was partly inspired by an account he read of the Zulu festival ].<ref name="Mayes2009" />{{rp|84}} It was decided to spell the holiday's name with an additional "a" so that it would have a symbolic seven letters.<ref name="Mayes2009" />{{rp|228}} | |||
] created Kwanzaa in ] in 1966, during his leadership of the ] ] (also known as the "US Organization"), in order to give African Americans an alternative holiday to ]. He later stated, "''...it was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.''" <ref> p. 21</ref>] | |||
During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said it was meant to be an alternative to ]. He believed ] and ] that Black people should shun.<ref>Karenga, Maulana (1967). "Religion". In Clyde Halisi, James Mtume. ''The Quotable Karenga''. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press. pp. 25. 23769.8.</ref> As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so practicing Christians would not be alienated, stating in the 1997 book ''Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture'' that "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday."<ref>{{cite book | first=Maulana | last=Karenga | title=Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture | page= | publisher=University of Sankore Press | year=1997 | isbn=978-0943412214 | url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaacelebrati00kare_0/page/121 }}</ref> Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/20/garden/in-blacks-homes-the-christmas-and-kwanzaa-spirits-meet.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | title=In Blacks' Homes, the Christmas and Kwanzaa Spirits Meet | first=Lena | last=Williams | date=December 20, 1990 | access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> | |||
Concerning those who thought he was adapting kwanzaa from a traditional African practice, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny (BOND), an organization that has opposed the legitimacy of Kwanzaa in the past, Karenga noted "People think it's African, but it's not. I came up with Kwanzaa because black people wouldn't celebrate it if they knew it was American. Also, I put it around Christmas because I knew that's when a lot of Bloods were partying."<ref></ref> | |||
After its creation in ], Kwanzaa spread outside the United States.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa |title=Kwanzaa – African-American Holiday |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. |access-date=January 6, 2020 |quote=Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also come to be celebrated outside the United States, particularly in the Caribbean and other countries where there are large numbers of descendants of Africans. }}</ref> In December 2022, Reverend ], Mayor ], businessman ], Reverend ], Rabbi ], and ] joined to celebrate Kwanzaa and ] together at ].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2022/12/21/mayor-eric-adams-the-rev-al-sharpton-others-gather-for-joint-kwanzaa-hanukkah-celebration/|title=Mayor Eric Adams, Rev. Al Sharpton, others gather for joint Kwanzaa, Hanukkah celebration|date=December 21, 2022|website=New York Amsterdam News}}</ref><ref name="auto11a">{{Cite web|url=https://forward.com/news/529652/kwanzakkah-a-way-to-celebrate-dual-heritage-and-combat-hate/|title=Kwanzakkah: A way to celebrate dual heritage, and combat hate|date=December 23, 2022|author= Stewart Ain and TaRessa Stovall|website=The Forward}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jns.org/wire/mayor-eric-adams-rev-al-sharpton-robert-f-smith-robert-f-smith-rev-conrad-tillard-rabbi-shmuley-boteach-and-elisha-wiesel-join-together-to-host-15-days-of-light-celebrating-hanukkah-and/|title=Mayor Eric Adams, Rev. Al Sharpton, Robert F. Smith, Robert F. Smith, Rev. Conrad Tillard, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Elisha Wiesel join together to host '15 Days of Light,' celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa|website=JNS}}</ref><ref name="auto13a">{{Cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/now/black-jewish-leaders-gather-carnegie-032200862.html|title=Black and Jewish Leaders Gather at Carnegie Hall to Take a Stand Against Antisemitism and Racism|website=Yahoo|date=December 20, 2022|access-date=December 27, 2022|archive-date=December 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225013742/https://www.yahoo.com/now/black-jewish-leaders-gather-carnegie-032200862.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
The name Kwanzaa derives from the ] phrase "''matunda ya kwanza''", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of ], especially in the 1960s, though most African-Americans have West African ancestry.kwanzaa is for squares. | |||
==Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles)== | |||
An additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa<ref></ref> Also, the name was meant to have a letter for each of what Karenga called the "Seven Principles of Blackness". Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled "kwaanza". | |||
] | |||
<!--This section is linked from Nguzo Saba. When changing the heading name please take care to update this page as well.--> | |||
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or '''''Nguzo Saba''''' (originally '''''Nguzu Saba''''' – the seven principles of African Heritage). They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles are all ] words, and together comprise the ''Kawaida'' or "common" philosophy, a synthesis of nationalist, pan-Africanist, and socialist values. | |||
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml|title=Nguzo Saba|last=Karenga|first=Maulana|date=2008|website=The Official Kwanzaa Web Site|access-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231203612/http://officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml|archive-date=December 31, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
It is a celebration that has its roots in the civil rights era of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with what Karenga characterized as their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that have their putative origins in what Karenga asserts are "African traditions" and "common humanist principles." | |||
# '''''Umoja''''' (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. | |||
In 1967, a year after Karenga proposed this new holiday, he publicly espoused the view that "Jesus was psychotic" and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun.<ref>, p.25, University of Sankore Press, 1967 </ref> However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so as not to alienate practicing Christians, then stating in the 1997 ''Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture'', "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." <ref></ref> ] | |||
# '''''Kujichagulia''''' (]): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves. | |||
# '''''Ujima''''' (Collective work and responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together. | |||
# ''''']''''' (]): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. | |||
# '''''Nia''''' (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. | |||
# '''''Kuumba''''' (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. | |||
# '''''Imani''''' (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. | |||
==Symbols== | |||
That same year the first ] was issued by the ] on ] <ref></ref> at the Natural History Museum in | |||
]]] | |||
], ]. In 2004 a second Kwanzaa stamp, created by artist ] was issued which has seven figures in colorful robes symbolizing the seven principles. <ref></ref> | |||
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (''Mkeka'') on which other symbols are placed: | |||
==Principles of Kwanzaa== | |||
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa", or ''Nguzo Saba'' (originally ''Nguzu Saba'' - "The seven Principles of Blackness"), which Karenga said "is a ] African philosophy" consisting of Karenga's distillation of what he deemed "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise '']'', a ] term for ] and ] that Karenga used to refer to his synthesized system of belief. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, which are explained by Karenga as follows: | |||
* a '']'' (] for seven candlesticks<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinara|title=Definition of KINARA|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|access-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref>) | |||
*''Umoja'' (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. | |||
* ''Mishumaa Saba'' (seven candles) | |||
*''Kujichagulia'' (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. | |||
* ''mazao'' (crops) | |||
*''Ujima'' (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together. | |||
* ''Mahindi'' (]), to represent the children celebrating (and corn may be part of the holiday meal).<ref>{{cite book|last=Raabe|first=Emily|url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaaholidayco0000raab/page/12|title=A Kwanzaa Holiday Cookbook|date=2001|publisher=Rosen Publishing|isbn=978-0823956296|page=}}</ref> | |||
*''Ujamaa'' (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. | |||
* a ''Kikombe cha Umoja'' (unity cup) for commemorating and giving ''shukrani'' (thanks) to African Ancestors | |||
*''Nia'' (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. | |||
* ''Zawadi'' (gifts). | |||
*''Kuumba'' (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. | |||
*''Imani'' (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. | |||
These principles correspond to Karenga's notion that "the seven-fold path of blackness is think black, talk black, act black, create black, buy black, vote black, and live black." <ref>, p.25, University of Sankore Press, 1967 </ref> | |||
Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster,<ref>{{cite book |last=Angaza |first=Maitefa |date=2007 |title=Kwanzaa – From Holiday to Every Day: A complete guide for making Kwanzaa a part of your life |location=New York |publisher=Dafina Books |page=56 |isbn=978-0758216656 |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaafromholid0000anga/page/56 }}</ref> the ] ''bendera'' (flag), and African books and artworks—all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Symbols of Kwanzaa|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/symbols.shtml|website=The Official Kwanzaa Website|access-date=January 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204005052/http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/symbols.shtml|archive-date=December 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
==Popularity== | |||
It is unclear how many people celebrate the holiday. According to a marketing survey conducted by the ] in 2004, Kwanzaa is celebrated by 1.6% of all Americans<ref>, 'Survey by BIGresearch, conducted for ]', ] ].</ref>, or about 4.7 million. In a 2003 interview Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa.{{fact}} He has always maintained it is celebrated all over the world. <ref name="Why Kwanzaa">{{cite web|url=http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html|publisher="]"|title="Why Kwanzaa Video"|}}</ref> | |||
==Observances== | |||
In President ]'s , as in several previous messages, he said that during Kwanzaa, "millions of African Americans and people of African descent gather to celebrate their heritage and ancestry." | |||
] | |||
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as ], especially the wearing of ] by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. ] are shared, generally with a common chalice, ''Kikombe cha Umoja'', passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.<ref name="Scott2009" /> "Joyous Kwanzaa" may be used as a greeting during the holiday.<ref name="bush2004">{{cite press release | |||
|url = https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041223-2.html | |||
|title = Presidential Kwanzaa Message, 2004 | |||
|access-date = December 24, 2007 | |||
|last = Bush | |||
|first = George W. | |||
|date = December 23, 2004 | |||
|publisher = Office of the Press Secretary | |||
}}</ref><ref name = "clinton1997">{{cite news | |||
|title = Clinton offers holiday messages | |||
|url = http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/12/23/message/ | |||
|publisher = CNN | |||
|date = December 23, 1997 | |||
|access-date = December 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
|first = Elaine | |||
|last = Gale | |||
|title = Appeal of Kwanzaa continues to grow; holidays: today marks start of the seven-day celebration of African culture, which began in Watts 32 years ago and is now observed by millions. | |||
|url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/37610058.html?dids=37610058:37610058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+26%2C+1998&author=ELAINE+GALE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Appeal+of+Kwanzaa+Continues+to+Grow%3B+Holidays%3A+Today+marks+start+of+the+seven-day+celebration+of+African+culture%2C+which+began+in+Watts+32+years+ago+and+is+now+observed+by+millions.&pqatl=google | |||
|newspaper = Los Angeles Times | |||
|date = December 26, 1998 | |||
|access-date = December 24, 2007 | |||
|archive-date = June 5, 2013 | |||
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130605221130/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/37610058.html?dids=37610058:37610058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+26%2C+1998&author=ELAINE+GALE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Appeal+of+Kwanzaa+Continues+to+Grow%3B+Holidays%3A+Today+marks+start+of+the+seven-day+celebration+of+African+culture%2C+which+began+in+Watts+32+years+ago+and+is+now+observed+by+millions.&pqatl=google | |||
|url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the ], a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast of faith (Karamu Ya Imani).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=James W. |last2=Johnson |first2=F. Francis |last3=Slaughter |first3=Ronald L. |date=1995 |title=The Nguzo Saba and the Festival of Fruits |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l97ZAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Gumbs & Thomas Publishers |page=42 |isbn=9780936073200}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/kwanzaa/feast|title=A Great Kwanzaa Feast – Kwanzaa|website=Epicurious.com}}</ref> The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is ''Habari Gani?'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/greetings_and.shtml |title=The Founder's Message 2000 |publisher=The Official Kwanzaa Web Site |access-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204005015/http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/greetings_and.shtml |archive-date=December 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which is Swahili for "How are you?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/swahili.php |title=Useful Swahili phrases |website=Omniglot.com |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref> | |||
==Observance== | |||
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of ''kujichagulia'' (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, some African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/kwanzaa |title=Kwanzaa (until Jan 1) in the United States |website=Timeanddate.com |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref> | |||
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the ] by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. ] are shared, generally with a common chalice, "''Kikombe cha Umoja''" passed around to all celebrants. | |||
] | |||
A model Kwanzaa ceremony is described as a ceremony which includes drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the "African Pledge" and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the ], a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast. The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani"<ref></ref>, Swahili words for "What's the News?" <ref></ref> | |||
Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the ] featuring ], ], song and poetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&past=true&event=RHXAP |title=The Spirit of Kwanzaa – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts |website=Kennedy-center.org |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.danceinstitute.org/aboutus3g.html|title=Dance Institute of Washington|date=February 21, 2001|access-date=October 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010221084040/http://www.danceinstitute.org/aboutus3g.html|archive-date=February 21, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_070.htm|title=Kwanzaa Featured on This Year's Holiday U.S. Postage Stamp|date=October 19, 2004|access-date=October 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019032411/http://usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_070.htm|archive-date=October 19, 2004}}</ref> | |||
At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with ] and ]. Frequently, both Christmas trees and ]s, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas. | |||
=== Karamu === | |||
==Evolution in Kwanzaa's observance== | |||
A Karamu Ya Imani (''Feast of Faith'') is a feast that typically takes place on December 31, the sixth day of the Kwanzaa period. The Karamu feast was developed in ] during a 1971 citywide movement of Pan-African organizations. It was proposed by Hannibal Afrik of Shule ya Watoto as a communitywide promotional and educational campaign. The initial Karamu Ya Imani occurred on January 1, 1973, at a 200-person gathering at the Ridgeland club.<ref name="Joseph">{{cite book |last=Mayes |first=Keith|author-link=Keith Mayes |title=The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-94596-7 |editor=Peniel Joseph |editor-link=Peniel E. Joseph |pages=244–245}}</ref> | |||
In 1992, the ] of Chicago held one of the largest Karamu Ya Imani celebrations in the country. It included dancing, a youth ensemble and a keynote speech by NBUF and prominent black nationalist leader ].<ref name="McFarland">{{cite news |last=McFarland |first=Melanie |date=December 25, 1992 |title=Kwanzaa Is A Time Of Reflection |work=] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/25/kwanzaa-is-a-time-of-reflection/ |access-date=December 24, 2011}}</ref> | |||
In 1977, in ''Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice'', Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa "was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."<ref>Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, p. 21, cited at {{cite web|url= http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=917|title= Believersweb.org|accessdate=2005-12-29}}</ref> | |||
The celebration includes the following practices: | |||
In 1997, Karenga changed his position, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: "other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans."<ref>Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, p. 110, cited at {{cite web|url=http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=917 |title=Believersweb.org|accessdate=2005-12-29}}</ref> | |||
* Kukaribisha (Welcoming) | |||
Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture...Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/faq.shtml|title = The Official Kwanzaa Website|accessdate=2005-12-29}}</ref> | |||
* Kuumba (Remembering) | |||
* Kuchunguza Tena Na Kutoa Ahadi Tena (Reassessment and Recommitment) | |||
* Kushangilia (Rejoicing) | |||
* Tamshi la Tambiko (Libation Statement) | |||
* Tamshi la Tutaonana (The Farewell Statement) | |||
==Adherence== | |||
Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people have their various holiday traditions, all people can share in the celebration of our common humanity: "Any particular message that is good for a particular people, if it is human in its content and ethical in its grounding, speaks not just to that people, it speaks to the world."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/faq.shtml|title= The Official Kwanzaa Website FAQ|accessdate = 2005-12-29}}</ref> | |||
] at the center, and others]] | |||
The popularity of celebration of Kwanzaa has declined with the waning of the popularity of the ] movement.<ref>{{cite book | last = Stanley | first = Sharon | title = An impossible dream? : racial integration in the United States | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = New York | year = 2017 | isbn = 978-0190639976 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Hall | first = Raymond | title = Black separatism and social reality : rhetoric and reason | publisher = Pergamon Press | location = New York | year = 1977 | isbn = 9780080195100 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Dattel |first=Gene |title=Separatism vs. Integration: Can Separate Ever Be Equal? |journal=Academic Questions |volume=32 |issue=4 |year=2019 |pages=476–486|doi=10.1007/s12129-019-09822-4 |doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |s2cid=214460772 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Neal |first=Mark Anthony |subject-link=Mark Anthony Neal |interviewer=] |title=Is Kwanzaa Still A Thing? |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/12/28/168202864/is-kwanzaa-still-a-thing |work=] |publisher=] |date=2012-12-28}}</ref> Kwanzaa observation has declined in both community and commercial contexts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fantozzi |first=Madison |date=2016-12-25 |title=Polk events celebrate values of African culture |url=https://www.theledger.com/news/20161225/polk-events-celebrate-values-of-african-culture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117160237/https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2016/12/26/polk-events-celebrate-values-of-african-culture/23277568007/ |archive-date=2023-11-17 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Demby |first=Gene |subject-link=Gene Demby |interviewer=] |title=Significance Of Kwanzaa Changes Over The Years |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168388526/significances-of-kwanzaa-changes-over-the-years |access-date=2024-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119235641/https://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168388526/significances-of-kwanzaa-changes-over-the-years |archive-date=2023-11-19 |url-status=live |work=] |publisher=] |date=2013-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2013/01/07/168644973/gaining-or-losing-credibility-by-humanizing-a-reporter-a-kwanzaa-story|title=Gaining Or Losing Credibility By Humanizing A Reporter: A Kwanzaa Story|newspaper=]|type=NPR Public Editor column|date=January 7, 2013|last1=Schumacher-Matos|first1=Edward|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212165423/https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2013/01/07/168644973/gaining-or-losing-credibility-by-humanizing-a-reporter-a-kwanzaa-story|archive-date=2024-12-12}}</ref> ] Professor ] did not report exact figures, noting that it is also difficult to determine these for the three other main African-American holidays, which he names as ], ], and ].<ref name="Mayes2009"/>{{rp|210,274}} Mayes added that ] institutions now also celebrate it.<ref name="Scott2009">{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Megan K. |date=December 17, 2009 |title=Kwanzaa celebrations continue, but boom is over, popularity fading |url=http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/12/kwanzaa_celebrations_continue.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=] |language=en-US |agency=]}}</ref> | |||
In a 2019 ] poll, 2.6 percent of people who planned to celebrate a winter holiday said they would celebrate Kwanzaa.<ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |last=Yancey-Bragg |first=N'dea |date=2019-12-26 |title=From Umoja to Imani, Kwanzaa has 'won the hearts and minds of African people around the world |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/26/kwanzaa-african-american-holiday-celebrated-2019/4374651002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212183443/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/26/kwanzaa-african-american-holiday-celebrated-2019/4374651002/ |archive-date=2024-12-12 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=]}}</ref>. Roughly 14% of the United States population is ]. | |||
==Controversy== | |||
There has been criticism of Kwanzaa's authenticity and relevance, and of the motivations of its founder, Karenga. | |||
Starting in the 1990s, the holiday became increasingly commercialized, with the first ] being sold in 1992.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=December 20, 1993 |title=The Marketing of Kwanzaa; Black American Holiday Earns Dollars, Causing Concern |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/20/nyregion/the-marketing-of-kwanzaa-black-american-holiday-earns-dollars-causing-concern.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Some have expressed concern about this potentially damaging the holiday's values.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/commercialized-kwanzaa-worries-enthusiasts/article_5514246b-bfd0-575f-9937-f2c004850b63.html|title=Commercialized Kwanzaa worries enthusiasts|date=2001-12-28|work=]|access-date=December 24, 2017|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117205604/https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/commercialized-kwanzaa-worries-enthusiasts/article_5514246b-bfd0-575f-9937-f2c004850b63.html|archive-date=2023-11-17}}</ref> | |||
Kwanzaa has been criticized because it is not a traditional holiday of African people, and because of its recent provenance, having been invented in 1966. Black civil rights activist Reverend ] wrote, "...the whole holiday is made up! You won't find its roots in Africa or anywhere else."<ref>{{cite web | title=Kwanzaa -- Racist Holiday from Hell, Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson| work=FrontPage Magazine.com| url=http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=16474| accessdate=December 29| accessyear=2004}}</ref>. The origins of Kwanzaa, however, are not secret, and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/origins1.shtml| title=The Official Kwanzaa Website - Founders Message|accessdate=2005-12-30}}</ref> It was never advanced as an indigenous, African celebration. | |||
==Recognition== | |||
Other criticisms center on Karenga's criminal record, including having been convicted and jailed on charges of ] and ] for the torture of two women. The women were themselves African-American, which some critics, among them Les Kinsolving, feel detract from Karenga’s claim that he created Kwanzaa to celebrate and strengthen the unity of black people.<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36585</ref><ref>http://69.57.157.207/issues/1.15.01/kwanzaa.html</ref> | |||
The first Kwanzaa stamp, designed by ], was issued by the ] in 1997, and in the same year ] gave the first presidential declaration marking the holiday.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=53734|title=William J. Clinton: Message on the Observance of Kwanzaa, 1997|website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu|access-date=December 31, 2017|archive-date=December 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231103648/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=53734|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pleck|first=Elizabeth|date=2001 |url= http://people.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/backtoafrica/documents/pleck1.pdf |title=Kwanzaa: The Making of a Black Nationalist Tradition, 1966–1990|jstor=27502744|journal=Journal of American Ethnic History|volume=20|issue=4|pages=3–28|doi=10.2307/27502744 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315195135/http://people.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/backtoafrica/documents/pleck1.pdf|archive-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> Subsequent presidents ],<ref name="bush2004"/> ],<ref>{{Cite press release |date=December 26, 2015|title=Statement by the President and the First Lady on Kwanzaa |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/26/statement-president-and-first-lady-kwanzaa |access-date=December 28, 2020 |publisher=The White House}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/presidential-message-kwanzaa-2/ |title=Presidential Message on Kwanzaa |publisher=The White House |date=December 26, 2019 |access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1475126705278828555 |title=As we begin the seven days of Kwanzaa, Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating. |user=POTUS |last=Biden |first=Joe |number=1475126705278828555 |date=December 26, 2021 |access-date=December 24, 2022}}</ref> also issued greetings to celebrate Kwanzaa. | |||
] narrated a 2008 ] about Kwanzaa, '']'', written and directed by ] and featuring ].<ref name=Asante>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=98278817 |title=Kwanzaa Celebration Captured In 'Black Candle' |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 15, 2008 |publisher=]}}</ref><ref name=Essence>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.essence.com/2009/12/26/chuck-d-and-maya-angelou-in-kwanzaa-docu |title=Chuck D and Maya Angelou in Kwanzaa Documentary |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 18, 2009 |magazine=]}}</ref> | |||
], ] Press Secretary since April 2006, wrote that "There is no part of Kwanzaa that is not fraudulent."<ref>http://www.jewishworldreview.com/tony/snow123199.asp</ref> and other conservative writers have remarked on the Marxist leanings of Karenga and some of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, questioning whether Kwanzaa should be taught in American schools.<ref>http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=25998</ref> | |||
In the ] special '']'', Brain's family celebrated Kwanzaa as a family, and added a Kwanzaa Ice Cream Special (red, black, and green ice cream) to their ice cream shop menu. <ref>{{Cite episode |title=Arthur's Perfect Christmas |series=Arthur |series-link=Arthur (TV series) |network=] |date=November 23, 2000 |season=5}}</ref> | |||
Carlotta Morrow, ] freelance writer, uses Karenga's own writings to criticize the holiday, writing that Karenga claims Kwanzaa was created as an alternative to Christmas in his early accounts, but contradicts himself in his most recent writings.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.christocentric.com/Kwanzaa/cntrdct.htm| title=Dr. Karenga's Contradictions|accessyear=2006}}</ref> | |||
==Practice outside the United States== | |||
] noted the seven-branch candle holder, the "Kinara," was not used in African traditions, and suggested a symbol of ], the ], was borrowed to match the seven principles of Kwanzaa.<ref>{{cite web| title=The True Spirit of Kwanzaa, Norman Grigg| work=New American| url=http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1999/12-20-99/vo15no26_kwanzaa.htm|accessdate=December 20|accessyear=1999}}</ref> However, there is a tradition of ] and ], the "going forth" of the ], has historically been a metaphor for their struggle as a people. | |||
Other countries that celebrate Kwanzaa include ], ], ], and ].<ref name="Lord Contributor 2016">{{cite web | last1=Lord | first1=Mark | title=Celebrating the life-affirming tenets of Kwanzaa | website=Queens Chronicle | date=December 22, 2016 | url=https://www.qchron.com/qboro/stories/celebrating-the-life-affirming-tenets-of-kwanzaa/article_6f1f8f4c-5bbe-5a12-a9d0-b815c558f215.html | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> | |||
In Canada it is celebrated in provinces including ]<ref name="CBC 2019">{{cite web | title=Sask. African Canadian Heritage Museum celebrates Kwanzaa in Regina – CBC News | website=CBC | date=December 28, 2019 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/african-canadian-heritage-museum-kwanzaa-1.5409656 | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> and ]. Kwanzaa week was first declared in ] in 2018.<ref name="WBFO 2018">{{cite web | title=Proclamations declaring Kwanzaa week in Toronto and Brampton a first for Canada | website=WBFO | date=December 27, 2018 | url=https://www.wbfo.org/local/2018-12-27/proclamations-declaring-kwanzaa-week-in-toronto-and-brampton-a-first-for-canada | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> There are local chapters that emerged in the 2010s in provinces like ], where there are much smaller groups of the diaspora, founding members may be immigrants from countries like ].<ref name="Service 2021">{{cite web |last= |first= |date=December 14, 2021 |title=Kwanzaa, the 7 most important days of the year, approaching for many African-Canadians |url=https://www.saanichnews.com/news/kwanzaa-the-7-most-important-days-of-the-year-approaching-for-many-african-canadians/ |access-date=December 30, 2023 |website=Saanich News}}</ref> | |||
When ] ] extended Kwanzaa greetings to the African-American community in a holiday message in 2005, conservative columnist and commentator ] responded with a ditty, to the tune of "]": "Kwanzaa Bells, Dashikis Sell, Whitey Has To Pay; Burning, Shooting, Oh What Fun On This Made-Up Holiday!" The '']'' referred to this as ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2005/12/30/ann-coulter-writes-racist_n_13073.html|title=Ann Coulter Writes Racist Kwanzaa Jingle|work=]|date=December 30, 2005|accessdate=]}}</ref>. | |||
== |
==See also== | ||
{{Portalbar|United States|Holidays}} | |||
* | |||
* ] | |||
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* ] | |||
{{Clear}} | |||
==Music and Stories for Kwanzaa== | |||
The Kwanzaa Principle of KUUMBA celebrates creativity. A growing number of artists have been inspired to to add their offerings to make Kwanzaa a living event. Jacquie Godden is one such artist who has created "Invocations for Kwanzaa: 7 Nights with Nana & Achebe" which features a collection of stories and songs for the whole family, and for the classroom.<ref name="Invocations for Kwanzaa">{{cite web|url=http://www.kwanzaamuse.com/|publisher="]"|title="7 Nights with Nana & Achebe"|}}</ref> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
* A program to raise the faith level in African-American children through Scripture, Kwanzaa principles and culture, Janette Elizabeth Chandler Kotey, DMin, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY,1999 | |||
* The US Organization: African-American cultural nationalism in the era of Black Power, 1965 to the 1970s, Scot D. Brown, PhD, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 1999 | |||
*Rituals of race, ceremonies of culture: Kwanzaa and the making of a Black Power holiday in the United States,1966--2000, Keith Alexander Mayes, PhD, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, 2002 | |||
*Interview: Kwanzaa creator Maulana Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning in 2004 By: TONY COX. Tavis Smiley (NPR), 12/26/2003 | |||
* By Camille Jackson | Staff Writer, Tolerance.org, 12/22/2005 | |||
*Should African-Americans Celebrate Kwanzaa? By: Mike Gallagher; Alan Colmes. Hannity & Colmes (FOX News), 12/22/2004 | |||
*Is Kwanzaa a Racist Holiday? By: Sean Hannity; Alan Colmes. Hannity & Colmes (FOX News), 12/06/2005 | |||
== Further reading == | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Medearis |first1=Angela Shelf |title=The Seven Days of Kwanzaa |url=https://archive.org/details/sevendaysofkwanz00mede |year=1994 |publisher=Scholastic Paperbacks |isbn=0-590-46360-8}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Seton |first1=Susannah |title=Simple Pleasures for the Holidays |url=https://archive.org/details/simplepleasuresf0000seto |year=2000 |publisher=Conari |isbn=1-57324-515-1 |url-access=registration}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Brady |first1=April A. |title=Kwanzaa Karamu |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaakaramucoo00brad |year=2000 |publisher=Lerner Publishing Group |isbn=0-87614-842-9}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Karenga |first1=Maulana |title=Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaacelebrati00kare_0 |year=1998 |publisher=University of Sankore Press |isbn=0-943412-21-8}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Marsh |first1=Carole |title=Kwanzaa: Activities, Crafts, Recipes, and More! |year=2003 |publisher=Gallopade International |isbn=0-635-02173-0}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Anganza |first1=Maitefa |title=Kwanzaa: from Holiday to Every Day |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaafromholid0000anga |year=2007 |publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-7582-1665-6}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Gamble-Gumbs |first1=Ida |title=How to Plan a Kwanzaa Celebration |url=https://archive.org/details/howtoplankwanzaa00gamb |year=1998 |publisher=Cultural Expressions, Inc. |isbn=0-9629827-1-7}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Hintz |first1=Martin |title=Kwanzaa: Why We Celebrate It the Way We Do |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaawhywecele00hint |year=1996 |publisher=Capstone Press |isbn=1-56065-329-9}} | |||
* {{Citation |last1=Asante |first1=Molefi K. |title=Encyclopedia of Black Studies |year=2005 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=0-7619-2762-X |last2=Mazama |first2=Ama}} | |||
== |
==External links== | ||
{{Sister project links |wikt=Kwanzaa |commons=Kwanzaa |commonscat=yes |n=no |q=Kwanzaa |s=no |b=no |v=no |d=Q746851}} | |||
<div class="references-small"> | |||
* {{Official website|http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/}} | |||
<references /> | |||
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q7718270|title=The Black Candle}} | |||
</div> | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082328/http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html |date=December 30, 2007 }} | |||
* | |||
* {{Cite news |title=The Meaning of Kwanzaa in 2003 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1571259 |date=December 26, 2003 |work=] |publisher=]}} Interview: Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning. | |||
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* (The International Kwanzaa Exchange ) | |||
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Latest revision as of 02:52, 25 December 2024
African-American holiday created in 1966 For the river in Angola, see Cuanza River. For the currency, see Angolan kwanza. For the album by Albert Heath, see Kwanza (The First).
Kwanzaa | |
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7 candles in a kinara symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa. | |
Observed by | African Americans, parts of African diaspora |
Type | Cultural and ethnic |
Significance | Celebrates African heritage, unity, and culture |
Celebrations |
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Date | December 26 to January 1 |
Related to | Pan-African |
Part of a series on | ||||||||||||
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Kwanzaa (/ˈkwɑːnzə/) is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West, East, as well as Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. Twenty-first-century estimates place the number of Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa between 500,000 and 2,000,000.
History and etymology
American black separatist Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the Watts riots as a non-Christian, specifically African-American, holiday. Karenga said his goal was to "give black people an alternative to the existing holiday of Christmas and give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." For Karenga, a figure in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of such holidays also underscored the essential premise that "you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose, and direction."
According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits". First fruits festivals exist in Southern Africa and are celebrated in December/January with the southern solstice. Karenga was partly inspired by an account he read of the Zulu festival Umkhosi Wokweshwama. It was decided to spell the holiday's name with an additional "a" so that it would have a symbolic seven letters.
During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas. He believed Jesus was psychotic and Christianity was a "White" religion that Black people should shun. As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so practicing Christians would not be alienated, stating in the 1997 book Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture that "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.
After its creation in California, Kwanzaa spread outside the United States. In December 2022, Reverend Al Sharpton, Mayor Eric Adams, businessman Robert F. Smith, Reverend Conrad Tillard, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and Elisha Wiesel joined to celebrate Kwanzaa and Hanukkah together at Carnegie Hall.
Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles)
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba – the seven principles of African Heritage). They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles are all Swahili words, and together comprise the Kawaida or "common" philosophy, a synthesis of nationalist, pan-Africanist, and socialist values.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, as follows:
- Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Kujichagulia (Self-determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (Collective work and responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Symbols
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed:
- a Kinara (candle holder for seven candlesticks)
- Mishumaa Saba (seven candles)
- mazao (crops)
- Mahindi (corn), to represent the children celebrating (and corn may be part of the holiday meal).
- a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors
- Zawadi (gifts).
Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks—all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.
Observances
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. "Joyous Kwanzaa" may be used as a greeting during the holiday.
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast of faith (Karamu Ya Imani). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?, which is Swahili for "How are you?"
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, some African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year.
Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry.
Karamu
A Karamu Ya Imani (Feast of Faith) is a feast that typically takes place on December 31, the sixth day of the Kwanzaa period. The Karamu feast was developed in Chicago during a 1971 citywide movement of Pan-African organizations. It was proposed by Hannibal Afrik of Shule ya Watoto as a communitywide promotional and educational campaign. The initial Karamu Ya Imani occurred on January 1, 1973, at a 200-person gathering at the Ridgeland club.
In 1992, the National Black United Front of Chicago held one of the largest Karamu Ya Imani celebrations in the country. It included dancing, a youth ensemble and a keynote speech by NBUF and prominent black nationalist leader Conrad Worrill.
The celebration includes the following practices:
- Kukaribisha (Welcoming)
- Kuumba (Remembering)
- Kuchunguza Tena Na Kutoa Ahadi Tena (Reassessment and Recommitment)
- Kushangilia (Rejoicing)
- Tamshi la Tambiko (Libation Statement)
- Tamshi la Tutaonana (The Farewell Statement)
Adherence
The popularity of celebration of Kwanzaa has declined with the waning of the popularity of the black separatist movement. Kwanzaa observation has declined in both community and commercial contexts. University of Minnesota Professor Keith Mayes did not report exact figures, noting that it is also difficult to determine these for the three other main African-American holidays, which he names as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Malcolm X Day, and Juneteenth. Mayes added that white institutions now also celebrate it.
In a 2019 National Retail Federation poll, 2.6 percent of people who planned to celebrate a winter holiday said they would celebrate Kwanzaa.. Roughly 14% of the United States population is African American.
Starting in the 1990s, the holiday became increasingly commercialized, with the first Hallmark card being sold in 1992. Some have expressed concern about this potentially damaging the holiday's values.
Recognition
The first Kwanzaa stamp, designed by Synthia Saint James, was issued by the United States Post Office in 1997, and in the same year Bill Clinton gave the first presidential declaration marking the holiday. Subsequent presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden also issued greetings to celebrate Kwanzaa.
Maya Angelou narrated a 2008 documentary film about Kwanzaa, The Black Candle, written and directed by M. K. Asante and featuring Chuck D.
In the Arthur (TV series) special Arthur's Perfect Christmas, Brain's family celebrated Kwanzaa as a family, and added a Kwanzaa Ice Cream Special (red, black, and green ice cream) to their ice cream shop menu.
Practice outside the United States
Other countries that celebrate Kwanzaa include Jamaica, France, Canada, and Brazil.
In Canada it is celebrated in provinces including Saskatchewan and Ontario. Kwanzaa week was first declared in Toronto in 2018. There are local chapters that emerged in the 2010s in provinces like British Columbia, where there are much smaller groups of the diaspora, founding members may be immigrants from countries like Uganda.
See also
Portals:References
- "Why Kwanzaa Video". Maulana Karenga. November 2008. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ Scott, Megan K. (December 17, 2009). "Kwanzaa celebrations continue, but boom is over, popularity fading". The Plain Dealer. Associated Press. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- Wilde, Anna Day (December 31, 2020). "7 Mainstreaming Kwanzaa". We Are What We Celebrate: 120–130. doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814722916.003.0009. ISBN 9780814722916.
- Wilde, Anna Day. "Mainstreaming Kwanzaa." Public Interest 119 (1995): 68–80.
- Blumenfeld, Warren J.; Joshi, Khyati Y.; Fairchild, Ellen E. (January 1, 2009), "Christian Teachers and Christian Privilege", Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States, Brill, pp. 133–149, doi:10.1163/9789087906788_009, ISBN 978-90-8790-678-8, retrieved December 7, 2023
- Alexander, Ron (December 30, 1983). "The Evening Hours". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2006.
- Kwanzaa celebrates culture, principles Archived July 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mayes, Keith A. (2009). Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415998550. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- Holly Hartman. "Kwanzaa – Honoring the values of ancient African cultures". Infoplease.com. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- Karenga, Maulana (1967). "Religion". In Clyde Halisi, James Mtume. The Quotable Karenga. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press. pp. 25. 23769.8.
- Karenga, Maulana (1997). Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture. University of Sankore Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0943412214.
- Williams, Lena (December 20, 1990). "In Blacks' Homes, the Christmas and Kwanzaa Spirits Meet". The New York Times. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- "Kwanzaa – African-American Holiday". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also come to be celebrated outside the United States, particularly in the Caribbean and other countries where there are large numbers of descendants of Africans.
- "Mayor Eric Adams, Rev. Al Sharpton, others gather for joint Kwanzaa, Hanukkah celebration". New York Amsterdam News. December 21, 2022.
- Stewart Ain and TaRessa Stovall (December 23, 2022). "Kwanzakkah: A way to celebrate dual heritage, and combat hate". The Forward.
- "Mayor Eric Adams, Rev. Al Sharpton, Robert F. Smith, Robert F. Smith, Rev. Conrad Tillard, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Elisha Wiesel join together to host '15 Days of Light,' celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa". JNS.
- "Black and Jewish Leaders Gather at Carnegie Hall to Take a Stand Against Antisemitism and Racism". Yahoo. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- Karenga, Maulana (2008). "Nguzo Saba". The Official Kwanzaa Web Site. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- "Definition of KINARA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- Raabe, Emily (2001). A Kwanzaa Holiday Cookbook. Rosen Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 978-0823956296.
- Angaza, Maitefa (2007). Kwanzaa – From Holiday to Every Day: A complete guide for making Kwanzaa a part of your life. New York: Dafina Books. p. 56. ISBN 978-0758216656.
- "The Symbols of Kwanzaa". The Official Kwanzaa Website. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
- "The Principles and Meaning of Kwanzaa". Oprah Daily. December 7, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ Bush, George W. (December 23, 2004). "Presidential Kwanzaa Message, 2004" (Press release). Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- "Clinton offers holiday messages". CNN. December 23, 1997. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- Gale, Elaine (December 26, 1998). "Appeal of Kwanzaa continues to grow; holidays: today marks start of the seven-day celebration of African culture, which began in Watts 32 years ago and is now observed by millions". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2007.
- Johnson, James W.; Johnson, F. Francis; Slaughter, Ronald L. (1995). The Nguzo Saba and the Festival of Fruits. Gumbs & Thomas Publishers. p. 42. ISBN 9780936073200.
- "A Great Kwanzaa Feast – Kwanzaa". Epicurious.com.
- "The Founder's Message 2000". The Official Kwanzaa Web Site. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- "Useful Swahili phrases". Omniglot.com. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- "Kwanzaa (until Jan 1) in the United States". Timeanddate.com. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- "The Spirit of Kwanzaa – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- "Dance Institute of Washington". February 21, 2001. Archived from the original on February 21, 2001. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- "Kwanzaa Featured on This Year's Holiday U.S. Postage Stamp". October 19, 2004. Archived from the original on October 19, 2004. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- Mayes, Keith (2006). Peniel Joseph (ed.). The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era. Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 244–245. ISBN 978-0-415-94596-7.
- McFarland, Melanie (December 25, 1992). "Kwanzaa Is A Time Of Reflection". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- Stanley, Sharon (2017). An impossible dream? : racial integration in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190639976.
- Hall, Raymond (1977). Black separatism and social reality : rhetoric and reason. New York: Pergamon Press. ISBN 9780080195100.
- Dattel, Gene (2019). "Separatism vs. Integration: Can Separate Ever Be Equal?". Academic Questions. 32 (4): 476–486. doi:10.1007/s12129-019-09822-4 (inactive November 1, 2024). S2CID 214460772.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link) - Neal, Mark Anthony (December 28, 2012). "Is Kwanzaa Still A Thing?". Tell Me More (Interview). Interviewed by Michel Martin. NPR.
- Fantozzi, Madison (December 25, 2016). "Polk events celebrate values of African culture". The Ledger. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Demby, Gene (January 1, 2013). "Significance Of Kwanzaa Changes Over The Years". Morning Edition (Interview). Interviewed by David Greene. NPR. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Schumacher-Matos, Edward (January 7, 2013). "Gaining Or Losing Credibility By Humanizing A Reporter: A Kwanzaa Story". NPR (NPR Public Editor column). Archived from the original on December 12, 2024.
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- Biden, Joe (December 26, 2021). "As we begin the seven days of Kwanzaa, Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating" (Tweet). Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via Twitter.
- "Kwanzaa Celebration Captured In 'Black Candle'". National Public Radio. December 15, 2008.
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Further reading
- Medearis, Angela Shelf (1994), The Seven Days of Kwanzaa, Scholastic Paperbacks, ISBN 0-590-46360-8
- Seton, Susannah (2000), Simple Pleasures for the Holidays, Conari, ISBN 1-57324-515-1
- Brady, April A. (2000), Kwanzaa Karamu, Lerner Publishing Group, ISBN 0-87614-842-9
- Karenga, Maulana (1998), Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, University of Sankore Press, ISBN 0-943412-21-8
- Marsh, Carole (2003), Kwanzaa: Activities, Crafts, Recipes, and More!, Gallopade International, ISBN 0-635-02173-0
- Anganza, Maitefa (2007), Kwanzaa: from Holiday to Every Day, Kensington Publishing Corporation, ISBN 978-0-7582-1665-6
- Gamble-Gumbs, Ida (1998), How to Plan a Kwanzaa Celebration, Cultural Expressions, Inc., ISBN 0-9629827-1-7
- Hintz, Martin (1996), Kwanzaa: Why We Celebrate It the Way We Do, Capstone Press, ISBN 1-56065-329-9
- Asante, Molefi K.; Mazama, Ama (2005), Encyclopedia of Black Studies, SAGE, ISBN 0-7619-2762-X
External links
- Official website
- The Black Candle at IMDb
- Why Kwanzaa was created by Karenga Archived December 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- The History Channel: Kwanzaa
- "The Meaning of Kwanzaa in 2003". The Tavis Smiley Show. NPR. December 26, 2003. Interview: Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning.
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