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Kwanzaa has become a nationally recognized celebration of African culture and community in the United States since its inception in 1966 and is also celebrated in countries with large African descent populations.
The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event strengthening self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, lasts for seven days from the day after Christmas until New Year’s Day. It is seen at large, city-sponsored events as well as in small communities and homes throughout the country.
According to a 2019 -NORC survey, Kwanzaa has grown in popularity in the decades since its inception and is celebrated by 3% of the country. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all released statements celebrating the holiday, and in 1997, the U.S. Postal Service began issuing Kwanzaa stamps. It is not recognized as a federal holiday.
Kwanzaa emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s as a way for Black communities in America to reconnect with important African cultural traditions that had been severed by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It also promotes unity and liberation.
“It was also shaped by the pivotal decade of fierce efforts and struggles in the 1960s by Africans and others around the world for freedom, justice, and related goods,” holiday founder Maulana Karenge wrote in his annual Kwanzaa address in 2023.
Karenga, an African American author, activist, and professor, founded Kwanzaa after the Watts riots in Los Angeles, also known as the Watts Rebellion.
Karenga described Kwanzaa as a “politically-motivated holiday” in an interview with Henry Lewis Gates Jr. for PBS.
“The idea is for Africans and people of African descent to come together around family, community and culture, so that we can live in places where, in the words of Dr. Karenga, we feel completely African and completely human at the same time,” said Janine Bell, president and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Virginia.
Many people who celebrate Kwanzaa, which is a secular holiday, celebrate it along with religious festivals such as Christmas. People of any religion, caste or ethnic background can participate.
The name Kwanzaa originates from the Swahili phrase “mutanda ya kwanzaa” meaning “first fruits” or “first harvest.” The final “a” was added to the name to accommodate the seven children present at the first Kwanzaa, each of whom was given a letter to represent.
The holiday is governed by seven principles, known collectively as the Seven Principles, and each day a different principle is celebrated: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kumba, and Imani.
Nguzo Saba is represented by a candle holder with seven candles called a kinara. Every night, one of those candles is lit. The candles are the same colors as the Kwanzaa flag: black represents the people, red represents their struggle and green represents their hope.
Large Kwanzaa celebrations take place each year in cities across the country, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Detroit. These events often include storytellers, music and dance.
Holidays are also celebrated in individual homes, often focusing on children as they are key to the survival of the culture and development of the community. This concept of children and their future is often symbolically represented by corn.
“The intention is that it’s 365,” Bell said. “The need for principles and the value of strengthening principles do not end on January 2.”
Family celebrations also include gift-giving and sharing of African American and Pan African foods, culminating in karamu, a feast that includes dishes from throughout the African diaspora. Typical meals include staples of Southern cuisine such as sweet potato pie or popular dishes from Africa such as jollof rice.
The seven days of activities focus on reaffirming community ties, remembering the past, and making a commitment to important African cultural ideals. This may include dancing, reciting poetry, honoring ancestors, and the daily lighting of Kinnara. ,
This story was first published on December 19, 2024.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without any modifications to the text.
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