Kwanzaa

[Possibly from Swahili kwanzaa, first fruit of the harvest, from kwanza, first.]

For more information on Kwanzaa, visit Britannica.com.

On the day after Christmas 1966 the Swahili word Kwanzaa entered the English language. It is possible to be so precise because Kwanzaa was no casual borrowing. Instead, it was a well-publicized adoption of a foreign word to designate a new cultural invention: a celebration of African American people, heritage, struggles, and hopes. Not a religious holiday and not intended to compete with Christmas, Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 through January 1. Its inventor, Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, based Kwanzaa on African harvest celebrations. The name comes from Swahili matunda ya kwanzaa, meaning "first fruits."

Karenga devised seven symbols for Kwanzaa, naming them in Swahili. The symbols are mazao (crops), mkeka (a straw mat), kinara (candle holder), mishumaa saba (seven candles), muhindi (ears of corn), zawadi (gifts), and kikombe cha umoja (unity cup). Kwanzaa also has nguzo saba (seven principles): umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith).

In the Afrocentric 1960s, Karenga envisioned Kwanzaa as a means of furthering "social revolutionary change for Black America." In the less militant decades that followed, Kwanzaa developed a kinder, gentler image, to the point that beginning in 1997 it was celebrated, along with Christmas and Hanukkah, on a holiday stamp from the U.S. Postal Service.

The official Kwanzaa Song goes like this:

It can be sung "as often as is wished for elevation of the spirits." Kwanzaa yenu iwe na heri (Happy Kwanzaa)!

Karenga's choice of Swahili was no accident. It is a pan-African language, not restricted to one ethnic group or country but widely used for trade and official business throughout East Africa. It is one of the two official languages of Tanzania, where it originated, and also of Kenya. Nowadays it is the first language of more than a million Africans and a second language known by more than thirty million. A few other Swahili words of lesser note have also made their way into English: topi (antelope, 1894), bwana (boss, 1878), and panga (machete, 1925).

Many people seem to think Kwanzaa is an ancient African holiday-another religious festival trying to get on the "holiday season" bandwagon. But Kwanzaa has only been around since 1966 and is not really African, although its symbols revolve around African motifs and the name is derived from the Swahili word that means "first fruits."

Kwanzaa is the brainchild of Dr. Maulana Karenga, the founder and present chair of the Black Nationalist Organization. He felt that significant advances among African Americans could not occur in the United States unless they happened within the context of a cultural base. If people are going to be moved, they need a sense of, in his words, "identity, purpose, and direction." It is not practical to think that will happen if your heritage and allegiance is to a nation that had enslaved your grandparents. The focus has to be on the future-what can happen instead of what did happen.

Kwanzaa is filled with symbols derived from Africa, but its purpose goes far beyond national remembrance. Through participation of Kwanzaa celebrations, African Americans come to understand their ancestral images, but the idea is to include people everywhere.

First Fruits originally was a holiday when African people would gather to celebrate the coming harvest. Most African Americans are urban dwellers and don't have many crops to harvest. But the joy of the season can be felt just the same. Seven principles are celebrated, and they are applied universally. Beginning on December 26th each year and continuing until January 1st, a candle is lit each day. Each candle symbolizes one of the Nguao Saba, the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

Umoja (Unity). The object of this principle is to strive for wholeness in the family, community, nation, and race.

Kujichagulia (Self Determination). The goal on this day is to seek definition, to create and speak for yourself rather than to allow others to speak for you.

Ujima (Responsibility). Here the emphasis is on maintaining community, to shoulder the responsibility for the problems of others and work together to solve them.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics). The object of this day is to work toward building and maintaining local stores, shops, and businesses so the community profits together.

Nia (Purpose). The ultimate purpose of Kwanzaa is now in sight. It is to collectively work toward the development of community in order to restore the community to its traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity). Here the emphasis is on elevating the community, making it greater, more beautiful, and more beneficial each year.

Imani (Faith). The object here is to place trust in parents, teachers, leaders, and others, and also to strive for righteousness and its ultimate victory.

Sources: “Kwanzaa: The First Fruit Celebration.” Afrocentricnews. http: //www.afrocentricnews.com/ html/kwanza.htm. September 15, 2003.

Maulana Karenga, a professor and chairman of the Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, created the African American cultural festival of Kwanzaa in 1966. The celebration takes place annually from 26 December through 1 January. Although the American origins of this holiday are found in the struggles for black nationalism that transpired in the 1960s, its African origins are rooted in the historic "first fruits" celebrations that have been associated with successful harvests from time immemorial.

Essential to the celebration are the Nzugo Saba (seven principles), which outline the pan-African origins of African American peoples. The principles are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). One of the seven principles is featured on each day of the week-long celebration.

Millions of African Americans commemorate Kwanzaa annually in either family-centered or community centered celebrations. These events highlight the reaffirmation of community, a special reverence for the Creator and Creation, a respectful commemoration of the past, a recommitment to lofty ideals, and a celebration of all that is inherently good. During these cultural celebrations Kwanzaa candles are lit, children receive heritage gifts, and a commemorative meal takes place.

Bibliography

Karenga, Maulana. Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 1998.

Unlike December holidays steeped in centuries-old traditions, Kwanzaa, the African American year-end feast, was not established until 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a cultural nationalist. The celebration, which occurs annually from 26 December to 1 January, is based on a compilation of several harvest festivals and celebrations from around the African continent. During the holiday week most Kwanzaa celebrants use a menu of traditional African American dishes, foods from the "mother continent," and foods from the African diaspora. The word "Kwanzaa" comes from the Swahili expression "matunda ya kwanza," meaning 'first fruits of the harvest,' but the American Kwanzaa is distinguished from the African one by the addition of a second "a" in the second syllable.

The holiday was originally celebrated by cultural nationalists who wished to express pan-African solidarity. In the intervening years, however, it has become a rapidly growing tradition with over 18 million people of all political leanings and in all walks of life celebrating the week following 26 December as a time of feasting, fasting, and self-examination.

The holiday is not designed as a replacement for or alternative to any of the other year-end festivities like the Christian Christmas, the Jewish Hanukkah, or the Hindu Divali (Festival of Lights, celebrating Laksmi, the goddess of wealth; also called "Diwali" or "Dewali"). Rather, it is a time for reflection and self-examination that can replace or be celebrated jointly with any or all of the year-end holidays.

The celebration of Kwanzaa is guided by the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of self-awareness, so each day of the week-long festival is devoted to the celebration of one of the building blocks of self-awareness.

Umoja—

Unity

Kujichagulia—

Self-Determination

Ujima—

Collective Work and Responsibility

Ujamaa—

Cooperative Economics

Nia—

Purpose

Kuumba—

Creativity (The feast of karamu is held on this day and is a public celebration at which the community gathers to celebrate the holiday.)

Imani—

Faith

The number seven is at the core of the celebration. There are seven days, seven principles, and seven symbols of the holiday. The mazao are the fruits of the harvest that are a part of the celebration table, and the mkeka is the mat on which they are arranged. The kinara, the seven-branched candlestick, holds the mishumaa saba, the seven candles (three red, three green, and one black) that are lit every evening: first the black candle, symbolizing the people, and then, alternating, the red and green candles, symbolizing the principle that without struggle, there is no attainment.

Each Kwanzaa table has a centerpiece. On each centerpiece there are muhindi (also vibunzi), ears of corn, one for each child in the family who is still at home. If there are no children in the family, there is a single ear to remind the celebrants that, in the words of the proverb, "it takes a village to raise a child." The kikombe cha umoja, the chalice of unity, is the cup that is passed around or from which the ceremonial libation is poured. Finally, there are the zawadi, gifts, which should be educational and emphasize growth and self-knowledge.

Bibliography

Copage, Eric V. Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking. New York: Morrow, 1991.

Harris, Jessica B. A Kwanzaa Keepsake: Celebrating the Holiday with New Traditions and Feasts. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

Karenga, Maulana. Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice. Inglewood, Calif.: Kawaida, 1977.

Karenga, Maulana. The African-American Holiday of Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press, 1988.

—Jessica B. Harris

For the river in Angola, see Kwanza River.

For the currency, see Angolan kwanza.

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Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States honoring African heritage and culture, marked by participants lighting a kinara (candle holder).^[1] It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, primarily in the United States.

Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift giving. It was created by Ron Karenga and was first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967.

Contents 1 History and etymology 2 Principles of Kwanzaa 3 Popularity 4 Observance 5 Evolution in Kwanzaa's observance 6 Criticism 7 Kwanzaa film 8 See also 9 Further reading 10 References 11 External links

History and etymology

2009 Kwanzaa Movie The Black Candle narrated by Maya Angelou

^[2] Although the historical Juneteenth The African American festival had been celebrated since 1867,^[3] Karenga said his goal was to "...give Blacks an 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."^[4] The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s.

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 "common humanist principles." The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service on October 22, 1997 ^[5] at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, California. In 2004 a second Kwanzaa stamp, created by artist Daniel Minter was issued which has seven figures in colorful robes symbolizing the seven principles.^[6]

During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said that it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas, that "Jesus was psychotic", and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun.^[7][8] 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."^[9]

The origins of Kwanzaa are not secret and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday.^[10] Many Christian African-Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.^{[citation needed]}.

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 communitarian African philosophy" consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

• Umoja (Unity) To strive for and to 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 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 heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Popularity

In President George W. Bush's 2004 Presidential Kwanzaa Message, he said that, "During Kwanzaa, millions of African Americans and people of African descent gather to celebrate their heritage and ancestry. Kwanzaa celebrations provide an opportunity to focus on the importance of family, community, and history, and to reflect on the Nguzo Saba or seven principles of African culture. These principles emphasize unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith."^[11]

In 2004 BIGresearch conducted a marketing survey in the United States for the National Retail Foundation, which found that 1.6% of those surveyed planned to celebrate Kwanzaa. If generalized to the US population as a whole, this would imply that around 4.7 million Americans planned to celebrate Kwanzaa in that year^[12]. In a 2006 speech, Maulana Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. He has always maintained it is celebrated all over the world.^[1] Lee D. Baker puts the number at 12 million.^[13]

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Observance

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, 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^{[citation needed]}. The greeting is "joyous Kwanzaa."^[11][14][15]

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 (Karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani,"^[16] which is Swahili for "What's the News?"^[17]

At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the festival 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 festival, 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.

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.^[18][19]

Evolution in Kwanzaa's observance

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."^[20]

In 1997, Karenga and the community evolved, 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."^[21]

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."^[22]

Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people has its own 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."^[23]

Criticism

There has been criticism of Kwanzaa's authenticity and relevance to African American history or culture, and of the motivations of its founder, Karenga.^{[citation needed]}

Kwanzaa has been criticized because it is not a traditional holiday of African people, and because of its recent provenance, having been created in 1966. In 1999, syndicated columnist, and later White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow wrote that "There is no part of Kwanzaa that is not fraudulent."^[24]

Some African Americans have also charged Kwanzaa as being a "fraud", and as a secular holiday meant to divert blacks away from Christianity or Christmas.^[25]

Kwanzaa film

The Black Candle, a documentary by M.K. Asante, Jr., narrated by Maya Angelou, is a 2009 film about Kwanzaa. The first feature film about the cultural festival, the film uses Kwanzaa as a vehicle to celebrate the African-American experience.

See also

• Dashiki - A shirt or suit worn during Kwanzaa celebrations
• Kufi - A cap worn during Kwanzaa celebrations
• Kaftan (boubou) - A dress worn by women during Kwanzaa celebrations

Further reading

• 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 Ron Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning in 2004 By: Tony Cox. Tavis Smiley (NPR), 26 December 2003
• Tolerance in the News: Kwanzaa: A threat to Christmas? By Camille Jackson | Staff Writer, Tolerance.org, 22 December 2005

References

1. ^ ^{a b} ""Why Kwanzaa Video"". "Ron Karenga". http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html. 
2. ^ "The Evening Hours". New York Times". 1983-12-30. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00B1EFD395C0C738FDDAB0994DB484D81. Retrieved 2006-12-15. 
3. ^ http://www.juneteenth.com/
4. ^ Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice p. 21
5. ^ Bringing Good Into the World
6. ^ Kwanzaa featured on this year's holiday U.S. postage stamp
7. ^ Karenga, Ron (1967). "Religion". in Clyde Halisi, James Mtume. The quotable Karenga. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press. pp. 25. 23769.8. http://www.piratepundit.com/karenga6.html. 
8. ^ Levine, Jed (2006-11-28). "Have yourself a merry little solstice". Daily Bruinshut up (University of California, Los Angeles). http://dailybruin.com/news/2006/nov/28/ihave-yourself-a-merry-little-/. Retrieved 2007-12-27. "Karenga himself admitted during the early years of Kwanzaa that the holiday was meant to be an alternative to Christmas, since his original stance was that Christianity was a white religion that black people should reject, even writing that “Jesus was psychotic.”" 
9. ^ The story of Kwanzaa
10. ^ "The Official Kwanzaa Website - Founders Message". http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/origins1.shtml. Retrieved 2005-12-30. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Bush, George W. (2004-12-23). "Presidential Kwanzaa Message, 2004". Office of the Press Secretary. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041223-2.html. Retrieved 2007-12-24. 
12. ^ "2004 Holiday Spending by Region", 'Survey by BIGresearch, conducted for National Retail Foundation', 14 October 2004
13. ^ Dispatches from the Ebony Tower By Manning Marable Page 224
14. ^ "Clinton offers festival messages". CNN. 1997-12-23. http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/12/23/message/. Retrieved 2007-12-24. 
15. ^ Gale, Elaine (1998-12-26). "Appeal of Kwanzaa continues to grow; festivals: 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. 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+Festivals%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. Retrieved 2007-12-24. 
16. ^ Kwanzaa Greeting
17. ^ A Model Kwanzaa Ceremony
18. ^ The Spirit of Kwanzaa
19. ^ The Dance Institute of Washington
20. ^ Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, p. 21, cited at "Believersweb.org". http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=917. Retrieved 2005-12-29. 
21. ^ Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, p. 110, cited at "Believersweb.org". http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=917. Retrieved 2005-12-29. 
22. ^ "The Official Kwanzaa Website". http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/faq.shtml. Retrieved 2005-12-29. 
23. ^ "The Official Kwanzaa Website FAQ". http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/faq.shtml. Retrieved 2005-12-29. 
24. ^ http://www.jewishworldreview.com/tony/snow123199.asp
25. ^ http://media.www.districtchronicles.com/media/storage/paper263/news/2004/12/30/Cover/Kwanzaa.Celebration.Stirs.Pride.And.Debate-830193.shtml

External links

• The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration by Maya Angelou
• The History Channel: Kwanzaa
• Heritage Day in South Africa

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