12/26/2019
Kwanzaa: 7 Principles to Honor African Heritage:
Happy Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of life observed for seven days from December 26 to January 1 by people of African descent to honor their heritage. The week-long celebration may include songs, dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large feast on December 31, called a Karamu. A candle on the Kinara (candleholder) representing one of the seven principles on which Kwanzaa is founded, called the Nguzo Saba, is lit every one of the seven nights. Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle.
There are also seven symbols associated with Kwanzaa. The principles and symbols reflect the values of African culture and promote community among African-Americans.
Establishment of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of black studies at California State University, Long Beach, as a way to bring African-Americans together as a community and help them reconnect with their African roots and heritage. Kwanzaa celebrates family, community, culture, and heritage. As the Civil Rights Movement transitioned into black nationalism in the late 1960s, men such as Karenga were searching for ways to reconnect African-Americans with their heritage.
Kwanzaa is modeled after the first harvest celebrations in Africa, and the meaning of the name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means the "first fruits" of the harvest. Although East African nations were not involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Karenga's decision to use a Swahili term to name the celebration is symbolic of the popularity of Pan-Africanism.
Kwanzaa is celebrated mostly in the United States, but Kwanzaa celebrations are also popular in Canada, the Caribbean and other parts of the African Diaspora.
Karenga said his purpose for establishing Kwanzaa was to "give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."
Happy Holidays to Absolutely Everybody.