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Kwanzaa

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Not to be confused with the Kwanza River in Angola, or the Angolan currency, "Kwanza".
A woman lights kinara candles on a table decorated with the symbols of Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa is a new creation (late 1960's) and manifests itself as a week-long observance observed mostly in the United States from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage. Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and the pouring and consuming of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving. According to one survey, Kwanzaa is celebrated by no more than 1.6% of all Americans. Kwanzaa is a Pan-African harvest holiday that is not set at harvest time.

Principles of Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrating "The Seven Principles of Blackness", or Nguzo (originally, Nguzu) Saba that was invented by former Black Panther and convicted violent felon Ron Karenga after his release from prison in 1975; these are principles which comprise Karenga's doctrine of Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Kwanzaa is an adjunct of Kawaida. Karenga called on African-Americans to adopt his secular humanism and reject other practices as mythical (Karenga 1977, pp. 14, 23, 24, 27, 44-5). Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles. In order, they are:

Observance

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole 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. Often alcoholic beverages are poured to the ground as libations, an ancient custom that has survived in the African-American community to this day.

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 Christmas and New Year's. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, 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.

Origins

File:Kwanzaastamp.jpg
United States Postal Service "Kwanzaa" stamp

Kwanzaa was created by political activist Ron Karenga in California in 1966, during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization (also known as the "Us Organization").

Kwanzaa was originally intended to be an African-American alternative to Christmas. Karenga 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." p. 21 Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice

In 1997, Karenga moderated his stance, stating that Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, but 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." p. 110, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture

Etymology

The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters, for two reasons. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted one of the letters in Kwanzaa. The name was also meant to have a letter for each of the Seven Principles of Blackness. Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled kwaanza, which also has seven letters.

References

  1. "2004 Holiday Spending by Region", 'Survey by BIGresearch, conducted for National Retail Foundation', 14 October 2004.
  2. "Where in Africa did African Americans Originate?", excerpted from Philip Curtin's "Atlantic Slave Trade: A Census", June 1969.

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