Kwanzaa is a seven-day cultural celebration that begins the day after Christmas and works to bring about unity in the community, regardless of religious or political affiliations. Kwaanza is usually celebrated in familial or public settings in cities across the country. In order to celebrate Kwanzaa, there are seven things that you need to know about the celebration:
1.Kwanzaa is neither a religious nor political holiday. It is strictly a seven-day cultural celebration of family, unity and culture in the urban community. It was started in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor and chairman of the Black studies program at California State University at Long Beach. Karenga, born Ronald McKinley Everett, is the former leader of the 60-era militant group United Slaves [US].
2.Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. After the first Los Angeles riots, the Watts Riots in 1966, Karenga searched for ways to bring African Americans together. In the 1970s, he developed what would be become a nationwide celebration.
3.The name of Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “Matunda Ya Kwanzaa” which means “first fruits” in Swahili.
4.After Karenga founded US, a cultural organization, he started to research African “first fruit” (harvest) celebrations. Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa.
5.Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading and a large traditional meal.
6.On each of the seven nights, celebrants gather and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara [candleholder]. Then one of the seven principles are discussed.
7.The Seven Principles, which is Nguzo Saba in Swahili, are celebrated during the holiday, one each day. They are:
• Umoja (unity)—To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
Kujichagulia (self-determination)—To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, 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 vocations the building and development 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 heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Karenga and the faithful practitioners of Kwanzaa believe that if members of the community strictly adhere to the concepts forwarded by the holiday celebration, it would lead to a more prosperous community and nation as a whole.
For more information about Kwanzaa, log onto www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org.
