Holiday:
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the
United States and also celebrated in the Western African
Diaspora in other nations of the Americas. The celebration
honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is
observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a
feast and gift-giving. Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo
Saba). It was contrived by Maulana Karenga, and was first
celebrated in 1966–67.
Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first
specifically African-American holiday. Karenga said his goal
was to "give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday
and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and
their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of
the dominant society." The name Kwanzaa derives from the
Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits of
the harvest". The choice of Swahili, an East African
language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism,
especially in the 1960s, although most East African nations
were not involved in the Atlantic slave trade that brought
African people to America.
Kwanzaa was a celebration that has its roots in the black
nationalist movement of the 1960s, and was established as a
means to help African Americans reconnect with their African
cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation
and study of African traditions and Nguzu Saba, the "seven
principles of African Heritage" which Karenga said "is a
communitarian African philosophy".
During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said that it was
meant to be an alternative to Christmas. However, as Kwanzaa
gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so
that practicing Christians would not be alienated, then
stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family,
Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give
people an alternative to their own religion or religious
holiday."
Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in
addition to observing Christmas.
Source:
Wikipedia: Kwanzaa |
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