Difference between revisions of "Kwanzaa"
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| − | [[Category:Observances]][[Kwanzaa]] is an [[African-American]] [[holiday]] created in 1966 by radical Black activist [[Ron Karenga]], and consisiting of one week of celebrating, in honor of African-American heritage. The most well known-symbol of Kwanzaa is the Kinara, a candle holder with seven candles, which bears a similar, though not necessarily intentional, appearance to the [[Jewish]][[Category:Holidays]] | + | [[Category:Observances]][[Kwanzaa]] is an [[African-American]] [[holiday]] created in 1966 by radical Black activist [[Ron Karenga]], and consisiting of one week of celebrating, in honor of African-American heritage. The most well known-symbol of Kwanzaa is the Kinara, a candle holder with seven candles, which bears a similar, though not necessarily intentional, appearance to the [[Jewish]][[Category:Holidays]] [[menorah]] used during [[Hanukkah]]. |
| − | + | Its purpose is both to honor African-American heritage and to provide a holiday especially for African-Americans, so that they don't have to accept existing traditions. Dr. Karenga explains in his following quote: "...it was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." <ref>1</ref> | |
==Seven Principles of Kwanzaa== | ==Seven Principles of Kwanzaa== | ||
Revision as of 22:37, January 1, 2009
Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday created in 1966 by radical Black activist Ron Karenga, and consisiting of one week of celebrating, in honor of African-American heritage. The most well known-symbol of Kwanzaa is the Kinara, a candle holder with seven candles, which bears a similar, though not necessarily intentional, appearance to the Jewish menorah used during Hanukkah.
Its purpose is both to honor African-American heritage and to provide a holiday especially for African-Americans, so that they don't have to accept existing traditions. Dr. Karenga explains in his following quote: "...it was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." [1]
Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
Each day of the week-long celebration is dedicated to one of Dr. Karenga's "Seven Principles of Kwanzaa":
- Umoja (Unity) To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Kuumba (Creativity) To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. [2]
Criticism
Some criticize Kwanzaa as being a secular celebration, a major purpose of which is to detract from the religious meaning of Christmas and Hanukkah. One article questions why Dr. Karenga popularized Kwanzaa in winter if it is a harvest festival, the proper celebration time of which is fall. [3]