What is Kwanzaa?

Okay, so I try to be educated on things, and since it’s the holiday season and I realized that although I hear about Kwanzza, I have no idea what it’s all about. So here, I go with my google search to find out what’s the story behind the holiday.

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday that lasts for 7 days from December 26th until New Year’s day. Meaning “first fruits” in Swahili, the holiday was started in 1966 by Maulena Karenga. The holiday wasn’t created to take the place of Christmas, but instead focuses on the “values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement.”

The holiday seems a lot like a mix of Christmas and Hanukkah with the gifts and the Kinara (the candle holder, compared to a menorah), but the differences are interesting. The Kinara holds seven candles, one black, three red, and three green, that represent the principles of Kwanzaa. These are: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. As far as the gifts are concerned, the principle of creativity comes into play heavily, and the gift-giving is encouraged to be educational or artistic.

There is also a feast with Kwanzaa, which also usually includes a program for the guests. (That’s definitely different than my typical Christmas dinners – if anyone expected me to get up and perform I would be a little embarrassed, and probably very unprepared.) All in all, it sounds like a really neat celebration focusing on self and community. The International Kwanzaa Exchange has a neat site with a lot of background on the holiday. Check it out online for more information. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide to incorporate a few of their principles into your holiday celebration?

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· Get out your sewing projects!
· National Sewing Month
· National Eye Exam Month?

[ READER COMMENTS ]

What is Kwanzaa?

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.