The seven-day festival of Kwanzaa, which celebrates African-American heritage and culture, starts Wednesday, Dec. 26 and ends Tuesday, Jan. 1. Here are some facts about the week-long holiday.
- Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, now chair of California State University Long Beach's Department of Africana Studies, in what he called "an audacious act of self-determination."
- The name "Kwanzaa" comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits."
- Kwanzaa's focus is the "Nguzo Saba," or the Seven Principles—unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
- During the week, a candelabrum called a Kinara is lit, and ears of corn representing each child in the family are placed on a traditional straw mat.
- African foods such as millet, spiced pepper balls and rice are often served. Some people fast during the holiday and a feast is often held on its final night.
- A flag with three bars—red for the struggle for freedom, black for unity, and green for the future—is sometimes displayed during the holiday.
- Kwanzaa is based on the theory of Kawaida, which espouses that social revolutionary change for black America can be achieved by exposing blacks to their cultural heritage.
- A poll commissioned by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGresearch from Oct. 4 to Oct. 11 found that 2 percent of the 8,585 adults surveyed said they would celebrate Kwanzaa, compared to 90.5 percent who celebrate Christmas and 5.4 percent who celebrate Hanukkah.
—This list was compiled with information from City News Service.
http://sm.eatright.org/kwanzaabread
I guess my question should have been phrased a little differently. Asking if a non-black person would be honestly welcomed into the celebration with the general attendees as a whole, or would they be shunned and made to feel like an intruder. I sure wish we could sit in a room together and ask/express our true questions and likes and dislikes of each other. Like----Why do YOU PEOPLE-------------------? Why don't YOU PEOPLE______________? How can we change how WE PEOPLE___________? Just a thought. Know it will never happen but I hope I get to be a better person at least one day and one interaction with others every day. Happy New Year to all!! Actually Happy New Day, every day to all. Rick
No, I was thinking more along the lines of a big group of people, maybe something like the National Association for the Advancement of White People.
As a white person, it just doesn't bother me AT ALL to have black history month, Kwanzaa, or whatever. I wonder why I don't feel threatened by all this stuff... even if I agreed that this stuff excludes whites, so what? considering history, let them have their celebration. It doesn't take away from me one little bit; why do YOU think it's a problem for you? oh, you feel left out? of what? all the shopping bargains, songs, advertising, children's games at school? oh right, that doesn't happen, cuz it's WHITE CHRISTMAS we been dreamin' of... relax, people, no one's coming for your women... If I decided to celebrate Kwanzaa, I doubt any person would try to stop me, and if they did, I'd tell them they're wrong to do so. It's not required to be a member of a group to support the cause of that group. I'm not a cancer survivor, but I support them too.
Look in the mirror folks; if you want to start changing minds, start there. xoxo
I'm still trying to figure out why people can't let other people celebrate their own holidays. Nobody's explained that. Instead, it's just a lot of hate, racism, and superiority. We are the winners. Apparently, you don't read much or look around you either -- you might want to read about the changing demographics of our state and our country.
As a white male, I find it disappointing that I see so many cynics when it comes to Kwanzaa. It's not my holiday, nor is Hanukkah, or Yom Kuppur. So why is it being criticized? Why can't people that the holiday does not apply to, just shut up and leave it to those who choose to celebrate? Why is that so hard to understand? We Christians, freak out when somebody wants to remove a Christmas Tree or refer to it as the Spring Holiday season (Easter). People need to quit being defensive about their own religion and start respecting the ceremonies and rituals and holidays of others. A closed mind prevents enlightenment...
from the person who said "it is our culture" HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HA HA HAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA !!!!!! btw, could you tell us where the heck is WASTONVILLE anyway... (that's how you spelled it pal) No matter how it's spellt, have a great day!
(Jewish folks find the idea that Christmas is under attack HILARIOUS) Just kidding... Like you say, there's no reason for folks to be so put out by Kwanzaa. It just shows insecurity on their part when they object.
This is the USA, not a Swahili-speaking country. American identity should focus on our common American culture, our common interests and fate as a nation. To promote splintering "racial" identities is to Balkanize our culture, unnecessarily and, I assert, harmfully. This country needs unity, not artificial identity constructs to make people feel separate. Scientists know there is no such thing as race. I recommend the book "Out Of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa" by Keith Richburg. It paints a horrible picture of African politics and culture today, and contains many reflections by the author on how despite having black skin he felt zero identity with Africa and 100% with the USA. I highly recommend the book to anyone who thinks racial identity means anything (it does not), or that somehow the ancestry hundreds of years removed is more important than building a common culture in the society we share today.
Pagan services became punishable by death in 356. In 6th century pagans were declared void of all rights. In the early fourth century the philosopher Sopatros was executed on demand of Christian authorities. The world famous female philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria was torn to pieces with glass fragments by a hysterical Christian mob led by a Christian minister named Peter, in a church, in 415. Makes FBI stool pigeons, ex-cons, and Marxism pale in comparison.
Christians have been shunned back to equal levels as any other faith or religion in our country. Sadly good Christians (which is the vast majority of them) have had to accept a lot of negativity due to the behavior of Christian extremists. These extremists have tried to hold a Faith hostage with their views, but like anything else, evolution of thought occurs and hopefully those types will soon be less prevalent. Until they are, the media will continue to expose them for the extremists they are...
No, I was referring to a reply to your above comment. Instead of just deleting a comment, I generally leave a note so the person who posted the deleted post understands why it's not there and so if there are comments replying to the offending comment, it helps later readers understand that the comments might be referring to something that's no longer there. -Becca