Kwanzaa, unlike Christmas and Hannukah is not very well known in America. Many people who do not celebrate the holiday, including African Americans, know little about it so here’s 12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Kwanzaa.
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Kwanzaa Means First Fruits. Kwanzaa is a derivative of the phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means “first fruits of the harvest”.
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Kwanzaa Is Not a Religious Holiday. Kwanzaa is a celebration of African roots, heritage, family and community. Kwanzaa was originally meant as an alternative for Christmas but as it grew in popularity the alienation of religion was not desired.
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You Can Celebrate Kwanzaa AND Christmas. Because Kwanzaa is a celebration of heritage, not a religion, and none of the principles or events conflict, it can be celebrated with Christmas.
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It is a Relatively Young Holiday. In 1966, Kwanzaa was founded during the Black Nationalist movement.
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The Founder is African-American. Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga was born as Ronald McKinley Everett in Parsonsburg, Maryland on July 14, 1941. He adopted the names Karenga, keeper of tradition” and Maulana,master teacher, while studying at UCLA. After getting involved with black power organizations, Karenga developed Kwanzaa which he stated 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”.
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Kwanzaa Is Most Popular In The U.S. About 2 million people in the United States celebrate Kwanzaa. During the Black Nationalist movement, the numbers escalated quickly and began to steady, afterward.
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There Are Traditional Greetings. “Habari gani?”, meaning what is the news, is a traditional Swahili greeting, used as a greeting and is responded to depending on the day and principle. Saying “Heri za Kwanzaa” and “Happy Kwanzaa” are also acceptable.
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It Lasts For a Week. There are seven days of Kwanzaa, each represents a principle of Nguzu Saba.
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Those Little Candles Represent the Nguzu Saba. Each day of Kwanzaa a candle in the Kinara is lit to represent that day’s principle. The black candle in the middle represents Umoja or unity, for the people. The red candles on the left represent Kujichagulia or self-determination, Ujamaa or cooperative economics and Kuumba or creativity, for the struggle of the people. The green candles on the right represent Ujima or collective work and responsibility, Nia or purpose and Imani or faith, for hope and the future. The black candle is lit on the first day then the other candles are lit in order from left to right each day; this represents the priority of the people.
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There Is A Feast. On December 31st, the sixth day of Kwanzaa there is a Karamu, a west african word meaning feast. The building, home or room in which the feast is held should be covered in decorations based on the symbols of Kwanzaa and follow the red, black and green color scheme. Traditional African dishes and popular African-American dishes are served at the feast. Typically the Karamu will follow a format set by the founder consisting of: Kukaribisha or Welcoming, Kuumba or Remembering, Kuchunguza Tena Na Kutoa Ahadi Tena or Reassessment and Recommitment, Kushangilla or Rejoicing,Tamshi la Tambiko or Libation Statement.
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There Are Seven Important Symbol. The seven symbols are: Mkeka ,a mat, Mazao, fruits and vegetables, Muhindi, ears of corn,Kinara, a candleholder, Mishumaa saba, the seven candles, Kikombe cha umoja, the unity cup, and Zawadi the gifts.
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Presents are not required. In order to prevent commercialism gifts are not required. Still, on the last day of Kwanzaa, Kuumba, gifts are typically given from parents to children. This day is meant to represent creativity so the gifts should be creative and/ handmade.
Now you know a little more about Kwanzaa, will you be celebrating this year?12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Kwanzaa