Does anybody actually celebrate Kwanzaa?
Very few people actually celebrate Kwanzaa. Most black americans look forward to sharing Christmas with family. If however, Kwanzaa survives for another 100 years, and expands to include something deeper in its meaning, then it might be on the same level as Christmas, but will probably still only be celebrated by a limited number of people.
Why it's important to celebrate Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa reflects on our African culture and is a time of reassessing, reaffirming and rewarding all that we have done in the past year. 1. Unity (Umoja): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. This basically means taking time to celebrate by being together as a family.
What was the celebration of Kwanzaa meant to represent?
The week-long celebration of Kwanzaa is meant to commemorate the roots and heritage of Black Americans. The festival has an extensive amount of meaning behind everything and is an extremely important time to many.
What do you need to celebrate Kwanzaa?
- YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP CHRISTMAS.
- KWANZAA DAYS CHALLENGE.
- MATERIALS NEEDED.
- Mkeka – A woven straw mat.
- Mazao – Fresh fruit.
- Kinara – Candle holder.
- Mishumaa Saba – Seven candles [three green candles (represents hope), 3 red (the struggle), and 1 black (the people)].
- Muhindi – Ears of Corn.
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What is Kwanzaa and why is it celebrated?
Kwanzaa is an annual holiday celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. It emphasizes the importance of the pan-African family and corresponding social values. Kwanzaa peaked in popularity during the Afrocentrist movement of the 1980s and 1990s.
Why is it important to celebrate Kwanzaa?
Each day of Kwanzaa is devoted to celebrating the seven basic values of African culture or the “Nguzo Saba” which in Swahili means the seven principles. Translated these are: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics (building Black businesses), purpose, creativity and faith.
What religion is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, it's a cultural one. Because of this, people from all different religious backgrounds — including African spiritual traditions — celebrate the holiday.
What are Kwanzaa beliefs?
The seven principles (nguzo saba) of Kwanzaa utilize Kiswahili words: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani).
What are 3 interesting facts about Kwanzaa?
Fun Facts About KwanzaaMany people of African heritage in Canada also celebrate this holiday.Each of the candles represents a different principle.The candles are different colors; black, green, or red. ... It is not considered a religious holiday.The first US postage stamp commemorating Kwanzaa was issued in 1997.More items...
What is the true meaning of Kwanzaa?
Each of Kwanzaa's seven days is dedicated to one principle, named in Swahili. Translated, they are: unity; self-determination; collective work and responsibility; cooperative economics; purpose; creativity; and faith. The holiday goes from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 each year.
What is the most important principle in Kwanzaa?
principle of umojaOn the first day of Kwanzaa, members of the African-American community focus on the principle of umoja. This principle emphasizes the importance of unity in all areas, including family, community, nation, and race.
What do you need to celebrate Kwanzaa?
These Kwanzaa Traditions Celebrate the Power of Honoring Our PastAssembling the Kwanzaa display.Lighting the candles.Reflecting on the principle of the day.Preparing and sharing food.Honoring ancestors.Sharing your talents.Reflecting deeply during Imani.
What is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is an annual holiday celebrated primarily in the United States from December 26 to January 1. It emphasizes the importance of the pan-Afric...
Who typically observes Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa was created for and is celebrated by Black Americans. Although it waned in popularity following its peak during the 1980s and 1990s, the ho...
How is Kwanzaa celebrated?
Each day of Kwanzaa is tied to one of the holiday’s seven principles: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective responsibility (...
How was Kwanzaa popularized?
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana studies. Kwanzaa grew in popularity with the rise of the Afrocentrist movem...
Is Kwanzaa a religious holiday?
Kwanzaa is a strictly secular holiday. Although its seven-pronged kinara bears a resemblance to the eight-pronged Jewish menorah, it has no connect...
What was Karenga's main premise?
For Karenga, a major 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.".
What is the greeting for Kwanzaa?
Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa".
Why did Kwanzaa avoid the mixing of the holiday?
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.
What are the seven principles of Kwanzaa?
They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common".
Why did Karenga change his position?
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.".
How many people celebrate Kwanzaa?
The National Retail Federation has sponsored a marketing survey on winter holidays since 2004, and in 2015 found that 1.9% of those polled planned to celebrate Kwanzaa – about six million people in the United States.
What is the Kwanzaa festival?
Kwanzaa ( / ˈkwɑːn.zə /) is an annual celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day.
What is the origin of Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa was first introduced in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, an American Black Power activist. Celebration of Kwanzaa started as an explicitly African-American observance in the same spirit as Juneteenth (the American Freedom Day or Independence Day). The holiday is centered on the end of year harvest festivals that have been happening for decades across Africa. Karenga chose Swahili, an East African dialect because it symbolized the prominence of Pan-Africanism during the 1960s.
What is the significance of Kwanzaa?
The commemoration of Kwanzaa revolves around honouring the seven principles of African heritage (originally referred to as Nguzo Saba) which, according to Karenga, represents an African communitarian philosophy. The Nguzo Saba principles were developed in 1965, one year before the establishment of Kwanzaa, and consist of what according to Karenga “are the greatest African thoughts and practices with the constant change in the world.” The seven principles include: 1 Umoja (unity): To work for and uphold unity in the nation, community, race, and family. 2 Kujichagulia (self-determination): To define ourselves, generate for ourselves, name ourselves, and express ourselves. 3 Ujima (collective work and responsibility): To create and uphold our community in unity and share problems and solve them together. 4 Ujamaa (cooperative economics): To create and preserve our own businesses, shops, and stores and to benefit from them together. 5 Nia (purpose): To make it a communal urge to build and develop our community to return our people to their rich cultures and heritage. 6 Kuumba (creativity): To always do as much as we can to improve and restore our communities’ beauty and make them more profitable than we found them. 7 Imani (Faith): To believe in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the morality and success of our struggle.
Why did Karenga change his stance on Kwanzaa?
Later in 1997, Karenga altered his stance to include Africans practicing Christianity, and from there henceforth, Kwanzaa became a celebration of culture, community, and family —but not an alternative to other religious observations such as Christmas or New Year’s Day.
Why is Kwanzaa celebrated?
According to Karenga, a vital champion of the Black Power Movements during the 1960s and 1970s, the establishment of Kwanzaa emphasized an essential foundation claiming that “you must have a cultural revolution to have purpose, identity & direction, before a violent revolution.”
How many letters are in the name of the Zulu festival?
It was agreed that the holiday’s name should have seven letters, each symbolic of the seven principles associated with Kwanzaa celebrations.
What does "umoja" mean?
Umoja (unity): To work for and uphold unity in the nation, community, race, and family.
What does Imani mean?
Imani (Faith): To believe in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the morality and success of our struggle.
What is Kwanzaa celebration?
Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of African traditions and Nguzo Saba, the “seven principles of African Heritage” which Karenga said “is a communitarian African philosophy”. Karenga believed and stated that “you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose and direction.”
What is Kwanzaa in Africa?
According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits of the harvest”. The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s, although most of the Atlantic slave trade that brought African people to America originated in West Africa.
How many principles are there in Kwanzaa?
The seven principles of Kwanzaa are as follows:
How long is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa spans over seven days with each day focusing on a specific principle in the Black community. A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history and a feast known as the “karamu.”
What is the purpose of the Kikombe Cha Umoja?
Kikombe Cha Umoja: The Unity Cup. The kikombe cha umoja is a special cup that is used to perform the libation (tambiko) ritual during the Karamu feast on the sixth day of Kwanzaa.
What is the meaning of the stalk of corn in Mkeka?
Vibunzi: Ear of Corn. The stalk of corn represents fertility and symbolizes that through the reproduction of children, the future hopes of the family are brought to life.
What is the meaning of the back candle?
Mishumaa saba are the seven candles: three red, three green, and one black. The back candle symbolizes Umoja (unity), the basis of success, and is lit on December 26.
What are the three candles on the Umoja candle?
The three green candles, representing Nia, Ujima, and Imani, are placed to the right of the Umoja candle, while the three red candles, representing Kujichagulia, Ujamaa, and Kuumba, are placed to the left of it. During Kwanzaa, on candle, representing one principle, is lit each day.
What is the Mkeka made of?
The mkeka, made from straw or cloth, comes directly from Africa and expresses history, culture, and tradition. It symbolizes the historical and traditional foundation for us to stand on and build our lives because today stands on our yesterdays, just as the other symbols stand on the mkeka.
Why do we have two ears on the Mkeka?
If there are no children in the home, two ears are still set on the mkeka because each person is responsible for the children of the community.
What is the significance of the candle light ceremony on Kwanzaa?
Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle. The candle-lighting ceremony each evening provides the opportunity to gather and discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa. The first night, the black candle in the center is lit (and the principle of umoja/unity is discussed).
What is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa, started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, is a non-religious holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture of African Americans and people of African descent. It is celebrated December 26 through January 1 and revolves around seven principles, each representing one of the seven days of Kwanzaa in Swahili.
Seven Principles Defined
1. Unity (Umoja): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. This basically means taking time to celebrate by being together as a family.
Why I Celebrate
I celebrate Kwanzaa because I want my children to have a better understanding of their African American heritage, and I want to build strong bonds as a family. I want my kids to feel proud of their culture while learning how to help others and give back to the community.
What are the seven principles of Kwanzaa?
In order of their celebration, the remaining principles of Kwanzaa’s Nguzo Saba (Swahili for “seven principles”) are Kujichagulia (“Self-Determination”); Ujima (“Collective Work and Responsibility”); Ujamaa (“Cooperative Economics”); Nia (“Purpose”); Kuumba (“Creativity”) and Imani (“Faith”). Often, the ceremony includes an offering ...
What does Kwanzaa mean?
For those who are unfamiliar, the name of the weeklong celebration is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits” in Swahili —the most widely spoken African language. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is associated with a different African principle.
How long is Kwanzaa?
The celebration, which was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, always begins on Dec. 26 and lasts for seven days until Jan. 1 of the New Year. For those who are unfamiliar, the name of the weeklong celebration is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which ...
What is the symbolism of Kwanzaa?
The first of these principles, celebrated on the first day of Kwanzaa, is Umoja, the Swahili word for “unity.”. To celebrate, participants typically gather together to light one of the red, black or green candles on the Kinara, the official candleholder associated ...
What is Karenga's name?
Karenga studied at UCLA where his education in African-related subjects inspired him to change his name to Karenga (Swahili for “keeper of tradition ”) along with the title Maulana (Swahili for “master teacher”).
Why was Kwanzaa created?
Kwanzaa is less than 60 years old. Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist who later became a college professor, created Kwanzaa as a way of uniting and empowering the African American community in the aftermath of the deadly Watts Rebellion.
What countries is Kwanzaa celebrated in?
The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase 'matunda ya kwanza' which means 'first fruits' in the Swahili language (an Eastern African language spoken in countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe). Kwanzaa is mostly celebrated in the USA.
What religion is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious holiday, that can be celebrated alongside other major religious and secular holidays.
Why was Kwanzaa created?
Kwanzaa is less than 60 years old. Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist who later became a college professor, created Kwanzaa as a way of uniting and empowering the African American community in the aftermath of the deadly Watts Rebellion.
What countries is Kwanzaa celebrated in?
The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase 'matunda ya kwanza' which means 'first fruits' in the Swahili language (an Eastern African language spoken in countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe). Kwanzaa is mostly celebrated in the USA.
What religion is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious holiday, that can be celebrated alongside other major religious and secular holidays.
Overview
Kwanzaa 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 and Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966.
History and etymology
American Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the Watts riots as a specifically African-American holiday. Karenga said his goal was to "give Black People an alternative to the existing holiday of Christmas and give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." For Karenga, a major figure in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of s…
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.
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)
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, pa…
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 …
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, and Donald Trump also issued greetings to celebrate Kwanzaa.
Maya Angelou narrated a 2008 documentary film about Kwanzaa, The Black Candle, written and di…
See also
• Dashiki – a shirt or suit worn during Kwanzaa and other occasions
• American holidays
Table of Contents
What Is The Origin of Kwanzaa?
- Kwanzaa was first introduced in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, an American Black Power activist. Celebration of Kwanzaa started as an explicitly African-American observance in the same spirit as Juneteenth (the American Freedom Day or Independence Day). The holiday is centered on the end of year harvest festivals that have been happening for decades across Africa. Karenga chose S…
What Are The Principles of Kwanzaa?
- The commemoration of Kwanzaa revolves around honouring the seven principles of African heritage (originally referred to as Nguzo Saba) which, according to Karenga, represents an African communitarian philosophy. The Nguzo Saba principles were developed in 1965, one year before the establishment of Kwanzaa, and consist of what according to Karenga “are the greatest Afric…
When Is Kwanzaa Celebrated Across The World?
- During Kwanzaa celebrations, families beautify their households with colourful artifacts, African cloth such as kente and fresh fruits that symbolize African idealism. It is traditionally expected to allow children to participate in the celebrations and give shukrani (thanks) to descendants through pouring libations. Both Africans and non-Africans ...