One of several holidays celebrated this time of year, Kwanzaa is an African American and African cultural holiday created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 and observed from December 26 through January 1 by an estimated five million Americans and 10 million others in other countries (“Kwanzaa”). According to Dr. Karenga’s Official Kwanzaa Website, Kwanzaa originated in annual African celebrations of the first harvest; the holiday’s name is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" in Swahili, the most widely spoken African language.
Dr. Karenga created Kwanzaa with several purposes in mind: to reaffirm African culture, with a focus on family, community, and shared culture; to serve as a regular communal celebration; and to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles) of Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). As a cultural rather than religious holiday, Kwanzaa is practiced by African Americans and Africans of all religious faiths (Karenga).
The hallmarks of Kwanzaa include the seven symbols (e.g., Mazao (The Crops), which symbolize “African harvest celebrations and … the rewards of productive and collective labor”); greetings in Swahili; gifts of books and African heritage objects mainly given to children; the colors black (the people), red (the people’s struggle), and green (the future, and hope from the struggle); and traditional African decorations such as baskets, cloth patterns, art objects, and harvest symbols. The celebration itself includes lighting seven candles in the Kwanzaa colors, representing the seven principles, in sequence during Kwanzaa week. The last day of Kwanzaa, January 1, is a day of meditation on which participants ask themselves three questions: “Who am I?”; “Am I really who I say I am?”; and “Am I all I ought to be?” (Karenga).
If you’d like to attend a local, public Kwanzaa celebration, the Rochester Kwanzaa Coalition is sponsoring a Kwanzaa ceremony for each day’s principle, along with other Kwanzaa activities, at six different Rochester venues:
* Wed. 12/26/12, 2-5 PM – Freddie Thomas High School, 625 Scio St. (free)
* Thurs. 12/27/12, 2-5 PM – Phyllis Wheatley Community Library, 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way (free)
* Fri. 12/28/12, 12 noon-4 PM – Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. ($5 per family suggested donation)
* Sat. 12/29/12, 3:30-7 PM – Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave. ($5 suggested donation)
* Sun. 12/30/12, 3-6 PM - Baobab Cultural Center, 728 University Ave. (free)
* Mon. 12/31/12, 6-9 PM – Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, 549 Clarissa St. (free)
Heri za Kwanzaa (happy Kwanzaa) to everyone at MCC!
This article is part of a monthly series from the Diversity Council about topics related to diversity and multiculturalism.
Works cited:
“Kwanzaa.” Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Ed. Cheri D. Abbey. 4th ed. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2010. Credo Reference. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. https://ezproxy.monroecc.edu/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.credoreference.com/entry/hfcwd/kwanzaa .
Karenga, Maulana. The Official Kwanzaa Website. OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org, 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml .
Debbie Mohr
Diversity Council (ETS: Libraries)
12/06/2012 |