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Not to be confused with the Kwanza River in Angola, or the Angolan currency, "Kwanza".

Kwanzaa is a week-long observance observed mostly in the United States from December 26 to January 1 honoring African-American heritage. Kwanzaa was created by political activist Ron Karenga in California in 1966, during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves organization. According to one survey, Kwanzaa is celebrated by 1.6% of all Americans.

Etymology

The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters, one for each of the Seven Principles of Blackness. Since having seven letters was the focus, kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled kwaanza.

Principles of Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrating "The Seven Principles of Blackness", or Nguzo (originally, Nguzu) Saba; these are principles which comprise Karenga's doctrine of Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Kwanzaa is an adjunct of Kawaida. Karenga called on African-Americans to adopt his secular humanism and reject other practices as mythical (Karenga 1977, pp. 14, 23, 24, 27, 44-5). Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles. In order, they are:

• Umoja (Unity)
• Kujichagulia (Self-determination)
• Ujima (Collective work and responsibility)
• Ujamaa (Cooperative economics)
• Nia (Purpose)
• Kuumba (Creativity)
• Imani (Faith)

Ujima and Ujamaa are of Marxist origin; Umoja promotes black nationalism.

Observance

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Often libations are poured, an African custom that has survived in the African-American community to this day.

At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.

References

1. "2004 Holiday Spending by Region", 'Survey by BIGresearch, conducted for National Retail Foundation', 14 October 2004.

External links

• The Official Kwanzaa Website
• Everything About Kwanzaa (The International Kwanzaa Exchange )
• "The Story of Kwaanza (sic)" (The Dartmouth Review, January 15, 2001)
• Special Kwanzaa section at CNN (1996)
• The Gist: "Kwanzaa" (Slate.com column, December 14, 1996)
• Happy Kwanzaa (Basic Info about Nguzo Saba and Kwanzaa Symbols)

• Winter holidays
• Holidays