What is celebrated in Kwanzaa?

Answer 1

An African-American holiday based upon ancient customs of Africa. Dr. Maulana Korenga created Kwanzaa in 1966. It is based upon harvest or first fruit harvest traditions found through out Africa. Dr Korenga sought to develop a celebration that would reaffirm African heritage and culture, introduce and reinforce the seven principles (Nguzo Sara), create a purely African-American holiday, serve as a communal celebration that reaffirms and reinforces the bonds between African-Americans, and serve as an act of cultural self-determination as an African people.

Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st. It is a time for family and friends. It is traditional for those celebrating Kwanzaa to wear traditional African clothing. Kwanzaa incorporates seven principles in its celebration. Each day of Kwanzaa celebrates one of those principles.

The first day: UMOJA (Oo-moe-jah) Unity

The commitment to the ideal of togetherness, its the foundation, without unity neither the family nor the community can survive. Unity begins with family; on this day the family gathers and discusses how they as a family establish unity among themselves and on the larger plane among the community.

The second day: KUJICHAGULIA (Coo-gee-ha-lee-ah) Self-Determination

The commitment of taking responsibility for ones own's life.

The third day: UJIMA (Oo-gee-mah) Collective work and responsibility.

The commitment to self-criticism and personal evaluation. The family and community are reminded on this day that they are collectively responsible for its victories, achievements and failures.

The fourth day: UJAMAA (Oo-jah-mah) Cooperative economics

The commitment of communal living i.e. everyone in the family has an equal say and share in the wealth and resources of the family.

The fifth day: NIA (Nee-ah) Purpose

The commitment of reevaluating the use of individual skills and their use for good within the family and community.

The sixth day: KUUMBA (Koo-m-bah) Creativity

The commitment to the use of one's creativity for the uplifting of the family and community. The community is celebrated with a feast of foods shared this day with those who attend the feast. After the feast there are celebrations of African dancing and music.

The seventh day: IMANI (E-mahn-e) Faith

The commitment of faith in ourselves as a people.

Answer 2

For Kwanzaa African Americans celebrate their heritage and culture. One of the things they do are on New Years eve their is a big feast another thing is on the last day of Kwanzaa African Americans give each other gifts. You can look at goggle to find some more information

Answer 3

Kwanzaa has no connection to religion, although many religious African Americans celebrate it. Maulana Karenga of the US Organization created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first specifically African American holiday. 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 black people should shun. As such its only connection to religion would be as anti-Christian. Even so, many Christian African Americans began observing it in addition to Christmas as a way to celebrate their African heritage alongside their faith. As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so that practicing Christians would not be alienated, 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." Despite this dubious revisionism by Karenga, the current celebration of Kwanzaa is reasonably consistent with African American religious culture and even with the simultaneous celebration of Christmas and with much less emphasis on its militant black nationalism roots.

Karenga also invented a candle lighting ceremony to be part of the celebration of Kwanzaa. The candle holder is called a "kinara" (Swahili for "candle holder"). The ritual of lighting the kinara closely resembles that of the Menorah during the Jewish holiday of Hannukah so in this respect it is reminiscent of a religious practice. It is doubtful, however, that it was Karenga's intention to encourage African Americans to participate in a "white" religious ceremony. During the week of Kwanzaa, a new candle is lit on the kinara each day. The center black candle is lit first, and the lighting alternates between the red and green candles beginning with the outermost red candle and moving towards the center. In this way each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the contemplation of one of the Seven Principles.

Kwanzaa celebrates 7 principles with usually one day allotted to focus on each principle. The names of the principles are taken from Swahili. The 7 principles that are to be celebrated are:

• 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 stand up.
• 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.

Karenga cobbled together ideas and customs that he felt represented an ideal African culture. None of them came directly from any actual African traditions or customs. They were directly derived from the principles of black nationalism. Nevertheless the principles celebrated are certainly not alien to the cultures of the ancestors of African Americans.

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.

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, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (Karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani? which is Swahili for "What's the News?"

Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.

Answer 4

Spin the bottle, decorate the Christmas tree, and kiss the bride.

Answer 5

I'm pretty sure that the Kwanzaa holiday celebrates the American-African heritage.