A Brief History Of Kwanzaa

The history of Kwanzaa reveals that the holiday was also established in order to first introduce as well as to strengthen the Seven Principles or the Nguzo Saba; in doing so, this would then help to improve and support the culture, values, and ethics of the African peoples.  This holiday is celebrated for a period of seven days and it is regularly observed from December 26th until the first of January annually.  The holiday was established by Maulana Karenga.  

Kwanzaa was purposefully developed in the mid 1960s when African Americans were dealing with various struggles for their rights and for their liberties.  The purpose behind the holiday was to unite African Americans, to continually promote their culture, to establish strong communal bonds, and to intensify the community consciousness of blacks in America.  The holiday lends to the development of an empowered and morally grounded community; it encourages the remembrance of ancestors, of struggles, of accomplishments, and of what can be when a group works together peacefully as a cohesive unit.

History Of Kwanzaa: Its Beginnings

Maulana Karenga is also known as M. Ron Karenga, Ron Karenga, or Ronald McKinley Everett.  The latter individual is a political activist, and an author as well; he was very active in the Black Power movement during the ‘60s and ‘70s.  Karenga established the Us Organization, a black nationalist group, and continues to promote Kawaida, a philosophy that emphasizes cultural and social change.  The Kwanzaa celebration held each year typically involves the act of lighting seven different candles, gift giving, and feasting.  The first Kwanzaa holiday was officially celebrated in the year 1966.  Each of the candles that are lit during the holiday come to represent the Seven Principles or values including Unity, Self Determination, Responsibility and Collective Work, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith, or Umoja, Kuji-chagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani respectively.  In addition, the holiday has been modeled after Zululand and Umkhost African holidays, each of which consists of celebrations lasting seven days in duration.  For more details visit http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/origins1.shtml.

History Of Kwanzaa: Its Evolution

The term Kwanzaa is derived from the short phrase meaning “first fruits” or “matunda y kwanza.”  Later, the term was written with an additional “a” at the end of the word; in the early beginnings of the Us Organization the term Kwanza was intended to stir creativity in African children.  There were seven children that desired to represent all of the letters in Kwanza; the word, having a total of six letters, had the extra letter added to total seven.

Kwanzaa has become an amazing popular African American holiday for a number of reasons.  First, honoring the holiday helps to cultivate a sincere appreciation for the values and visions of the African American culture and community.  The holiday emphasizes a focus on family and roots both modern and ancient.  This holiday also provides all African Americans with their own unique “truth” in a world of various “multicultural” truths.  Kwanzaa serves to strengthen and reinforce the ancient African customs and traditions that further lay claim to the very first scientific texts, ethical considerations, and religions of the world.  Further, the holiday of Kwanzaa serves to bring all generations and ages of African Americans together as one community, no matter what their background or location.

The community values of Kwanzaa even appeals to those that are not of African American descent; this holiday is sometimes celebrated by people of various cultures around the world, just as some cultures might honor a holiday like the Chinese New Year or the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo.  Public and communal celebrations are commonplace.  This holiday has wholesome, universal messages that are suitable to all and that encourage creativity, good will, sharing, and responsibility.  For more details visit http://www.history.com/topics/kwanzaa-history.

History Of Kwanzaa: The Holiday Today

Today there is a strong drive to keep the holiday of Kwanzaa non-commercialized.  Participants are asked to avoid the corporate attempts to make the holiday a commercialized endeavor.  It is believed that by adhering to the strong principles of the holiday that all blacks can keep the holiday from becoming desensitized in terms of its original meaning; the history of Kwanzaa reveals that the holiday is based upon significant ethical considerations that would ultimately lost through the process of commercialization.  Kwanzaa should not be mistaken for a holiday that acts as a substitution of Christmas; in fact, anyone wanting to celebrate Kwanzaa can do so by choice; one can still celebrate Christmas on December 25th if they have the religious predilection to do so.

Kwanzaa is and remains a time of ingathering of various African American peoples from around the world.  The holiday still represents the establishment of a bond among African peoples, and it is a time of giving thanks for the bounty one receives, to give thanks to the Creator, and to appreciate all of the beauty in the world.  This holiday is a time when the past is honored, lessons are remembered, and a recommitment to the highest possible cultural and ethical values is acknowledged.  Gifts for children are often given and the gifts selected typically have some cultural significance.  Colors associated with the holiday include greens, blacks, and reds and decorative items include symbols associated with bounty, culture, and art including harvest symbols, art, special cloth patterns, and African baskets, among many.  Practitioners of the holiday never merge Kwanzaa symbols with other holiday symbols; this is in an effort to keep the focus of the holiday on what it was originally intended for; to merge other holiday symbols with the holiday is considered a violation of the Kujichangulia principle.  For more details visit http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kwanzaa1.html.