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The
History of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa
(KWAN-za) is a seven-day African-American
cultural festival that is observed from
December 26 to January 1. It is the only
nationally celebrated, indigenous,
non-heroic African-American holiday in the
United States. During this time, families
explore, share and celebrate the
African-American community, their culture
and their history. It's a time for black
Americans to recognize their African roots,
and honor the achievements of their people
throughout history.
People
across the globe have observed Kwanzaa since
1966, when Dr. Maulana Karenga founded the
cultural event. Dr. Karenga, then a
professor at California State University at
Long Beach, wanted to create a holiday about
bringing black Americans together and
strengthening the bonds between black
people.
When
visualizing a holiday for the
African-American community, Dr. Karenga was
inspired by Kiswahili, the African language
commonly known as Swahili. As the most
regularly spoken language in Africa, Swahili
represented a cultural and historical bond
between African-Americans. Dr. Karenga named
the holiday Kwanzaa after the Swahili phrase
matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first
fruits of the harvest." The extra
"a" was added to the name in order
to give the word greater impact.
Historians
have discovered evidence indicating that
African first fruit harvests were celebrated
as early as 3000 BC, when the ancient
Egyptian empire flourished. Traditions
survived over time, and harvest festivals
still occur all over the African continent.
The African first fruit festivals served as
a model for Kwanzaa because Dr. Karenga felt
the harvest celebrations embodied several
important values he wanted to
promote/highlight to the African-American
community through Kwanzaa. These harvest
principles included: bringing people
together for a common purpose; allowing
people to give thanks to the Creator for a
good life; giving people the opportunity to
commemorate the past; permitting people to
examine their past and recommit themselves
to strengthening their community; and
celebrating the Creator, history, culture
and the opportunities in the coming year.
The
harvest principles formed the basis of the
seven principles, called Nguzo Saba, which
govern Kwanzaa. The principles foster unity
and purpose within the family and community.
Each day, African-Americans focus on a
different principle, or value. Daily
activities and events are often organized to
represent the special significance that each
day represents. On each evening of Kwanzaa,
families light a candle in a special
candleholder, called a Kinara. Some families
discuss the day?s principle, and share how
they found a way to incorporate that value
into their daily activities.
Gift
giving is an important part of Kwanzaa,
however the significance is weighted with
equal emphasis on education and
entertainment. Unlike other holidays that
have become very materialistic, Kwanzaa has
not been affected by commercialism. Gift
giving symbolizes an exchange of affection
between family and friends, so buying or
receiving the largest, most expensive gift
is not a part of Kwanzaa. Many families give
hand-made gifts or present heirlooms and
heritage symbols instead of buying gifts. If
gifts are purchased, they are intended to
teach the receiver about Kwanzaa, or
symbolize some aspect of the holiday.
Seven
Days and Seven Principles
The
first day of Kwanza is shaped by the first
principle of the festival, Umoja (oo-MOH-ja),
or unity. Emphasis is given on finding unity
in the family, community, nation and race.
Children can practice this principle by
making an effort to get along with one
another all day.
The
second principle of Kwanzaa is Kujichagulia
(koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah), or
self-determination. On the second day of
Kwanzaa, parents might teach their children
about making responsible decisions for
themselves by allowing them to plan their
activities for the day. Practicing
self-determination teaches the children that
the decisions they make are very important.
On
the third day, people remember the third
principle of Kwanzaa, Ujima (oo-JEE-mah), or
collective work and responsibility. Families
can demonstrate this important value by
working together to prepare for the Kwanzaa
celebration, cleaning out the garage
together, or any other task completed as a
group.
Ujamaa
(oo-jah-MAH) or collective economics, is the
fourth principle of Kwanzaa. This value
emphasizes the importance of building and
maintaining stores or businesses in the
community. A simple expression of Ujamaa is
to patronize a business owned or managed by
an African-American.
The
fifth day of Kwanzaa is governed by Nia
(NEE-ah), or purpose. The goal of the fifth
principle is to restore black people to
their traditional greatness through
collective development of the community.
This means getting involved in the
community, helping others, being a good
neighbor, etc.
The
sixth principle is Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah), or
creativity. People demonstrate Kuumba by
doing as much as possible to leave the
community more beautiful and beneficial than
when they first became a part of it. An
integral part of the day is the Kwanzaa
feast, called karamu, which usually occurs
in the evening, but can also be an all-day
event.
The
last of the seven principles is imani (ee-MAH-nee),
or faith. This value promotes faith in the
African-American race, the people, black
leaders and the righteousness of the
African-American struggle.
Source:
http://www.birthdayexpress.com/bexpress/planning/Kwanzaa.asp
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