Gretchen May
Extension Educator 4-H Youth and Family Development
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Cooperative Extension
Copyright/Access Information
December brings holidays for many people in our country. Christmas
and New Year's are two celebrations that have long histories.
A relatively new celebration is Kwanzaa, an African-American holiday
beginning on December 26 and lasting seven days. In 1966, Dr.
Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University at
Long Beach, planned a celebration to help African Americans be
proud of their past and build stronger families. He felt many
African Americans needed to know more about their history.
In planning this holiday, Dr. Karenga studied many groups of Africans.
He found that in every group there was a harvest or "first
fruits" celebration. (Kwanza is a Swahili word meaning "the
first." Dr. Karenga added the last "a" because
there were seven children who each wanted to hold a letter during
the celebration.) During the African celebrations, people came
together, thanked God for food and life, remembered their elders
who had died, judged how they had lived the past year, made plans
for the new year, danced, sang, and ate food together. Dr. Karenga
also found that most African groups were guided by seven principles,
called Nguzo (principles) Saba (seven). He incorporated these
principles into the holiday.
Families begin the celebration of Kwanzaa by placing a candle
holder (kinara) with seven candles (mishumaa saba) on a straw
mat (mkeka) on a table. The center candle is black for the color
of the African-American people; three red candles symbolize their
struggles; and three green
candles symbolize their hopes. Also on the table the family places
a basket of fruit and vegetables, an ear of corn for each child,
a cup, and gifts to be opened on December 31.
Each day a Kwanzaa candle is lit, and one of the seven principles
(Nguzo Saba) is the theme for the gathering.
December 26 is Umoja - being joined together.
December 27 is Kujichagulia - being yourself.
December 28 is Ujima - helping one another.
December 29 is Ujamaa - sharing.
December 30 is Nia - having a purpose or goal.
December 31 is Kuumba - creating.
January 1 is Imani - believing.
During the celebration, there is a feast in which people eat
collard greens for prosperity and black-eyed peas for good luck,
along with cornbread, fried chicken, baked catfish, sweet potato
pie, peach cobbler, rice pudding, and carrot cake. The cup is
filled with water or juice and passed
around in memory of ancestors. "Harambee!" which means
"Let's pull together!" is said many times throughout
the celebration.
Dr. Karenga celebrated the first Kwanzaa with a few friends. Now
millions of African Americans look forward to the last week of
December as a time for learning, feeling proud, sharing, fun,
and joy. In one of his books Dr. Karenga says, "May the year's
end meet us laughing and stronger."
If you would like to share more information on Kwanzaa with your
children and their families, look for *KWANZAA* by Deborah M.
Newton Chocolate or *KWANZAA* by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman and Dianne
M. MacMillan in your children's library. Perhaps there is an African-American
art show, a puppet show, or play about this celebration in your
area. Prepare one of the foods for a snack. Any of these activities
will help our children learn about and understand the many people
in our world.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Available only on the
Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW::
Level 2 - University of Massachusetts Cooperative
Extension System
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 8K or 2 pages
ENTRY DATE:: October 1995
UPDATED:: May 1998
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