It takes place from December 26 to January 1 every year. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in - Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa". Kwanzaa is a celebration that started in the black nationalist movement of the s. It was created as a way to help African Americans reconnect with their African cultural and historical heritage. The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza , meaning first fruits of the harvest.
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. However, as Kwanzaa became more popular, Karenga changed his position so that practicing Christians could also feel included. He stated in the Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture , "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba originally Nguzu Saba —the seven principles of blackness. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Featured Video. Read More. Your Privacy Rights.
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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. During the whole week, families observe Kwanzaa by gathering, sharing gifts, and lighting candles in honor of their ancestors and their hopes for the future. The holiday was most popular in the s and its traditions are slowly fading in recent years.
Kwanzaa was founded in by Maulanga Karenga, an activist, and leader of the Black Power Movement, one year after the historic rebellion of black people that happened in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The Watts rebellion was a response to years of abuse and poverty. It lasted for one week and left 34 people dead and 1, injured. Right after the rebellion ended, Karenga founded the Us Organization.
The way to achieve this, in his mind, was by creating an African-American holiday that celebrates their African heritage and cultural identity. In , one year before the establishment of Kwanzaa, Karenga defined the principles and traditions of Kwanzaa using pan-African symbols and practices.
Together, the seven principles make up Kawaida meaning tradition. Each of the seven days during Kwanzaa celebrations symbolically represents one of the seven principles on which the holiday builds.
These principles are:. Although the holiday struggled to achieve recognition in the early years, slowly, spreading through the word of mouth, it became a mainstream holiday in the s in the USA and beyond. Throughout the years, the celebrations of Kwanzaa emphasized African heritage and family relationships unity.
Looking at the history of Kwanzaa, one question that lingers on is — how do people celebrate Kwanzaa today? Are the above-described traditions still greatly preserved in modern celebrations, or are African-Americans embracing new ways to honor their heritage and cultural identity? Kwanzaa celebrations begin the day after Christmas December 26 and last for seven days, where each day symbolizes something different.
The celebrations usually begin by placing a traditional straw mat on the dinner table, which represents the foundation on which the holiday is built upon. Upon the mat, people usually put fruits representing the harvest , ears of corn representing the children , and Kinara candle holder in the middle.
The Kinara consists of seven candles. The candle in the middle is typically black, whereas the three candles on the left are red, and the remaining three candles on the right are green representing the Afro-American flag. Families and communities gather each day to reflect on one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Once all the family members are present around the table, the candle-lighting ceremony begins. Usually, an elder fills the unity cup with wine juice for kids. While they fill the cup, they spill some of the wine on the earth or earth-filled vessel as a symbolic way of remembering the deceased.
During this ceremony, the elder also makes a speech in honor of the departed family members and everything they left on their descendants. On the first day, the black candle is lit to represent all the people of African descent.
After this, each day a new candle once green, once red is being lit. The order is said to represent the struggles and future hopes of African-American people.
Because of its recent creation, some people see Kwanzaa as a made-up holiday, although we have many world-wide accepted holidays with only a short but significant history. Nowadays, families celebrate Kwanzaa in a similar way because its guidelines are officially documented and easily available. The main difference to traditional celebrations is that many African-American families today celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas together.
This might be viewed as a problem in traditional celebrations as one of the principles is kujichagulia self-determination which would be violated with the mixing of different holidays.
Today, the celebrations are more flexible and allow for the integration of different holiday traditions. Aside from organizing a traditional Kwanzaa celebration and letting children participate, there are a few other things you can do to teach kids about Kwanzaa and its significance.
In a very simple way and with many illustrations, these books explain the core aspects of the holiday and make it easy for kids to grasp the basic ideas.
Worksheets help children make connections between different terms and meanings, as well as associate the terminology with Kwanzaa symbols. A Rugrats Kwanzaa is an animated television special from the television series Rugrats. The Black Candle is a documentary about the struggles of African-American communities.
Finally, another alternative is to organize a field trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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