Thoughts on the celebrating of Kwanzaa and Christmas.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
Along with the December Christmas and Chunukah Celebrations, many people also celebrate Kwanzaa. During the winter holiday season, my family celebrates both Christmas and Kwanzaa. It’s a wonderful experience with many opportunities to grow. The principles of this holiday season combines appreciation, commitment and reflection, not just gift giving.
In 2006, approximately 28 million people celebrated Kwanzaa.
Many people are unaware of what Kwanza is and why it is celebrated. Some families celebrate it because it’s festive and some celebrate it to reach a goal.
The goal of Kwanzaa was to give Blacks an 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.
However, my family believes that Kwanzaa isn’t just for Blacks; we believe it’s for anyone who wants to do more than just exchange gifts at the end of the year. My family celebrates Kwanzaa because it’s a time when we come together and acknowledge as a family the events of the year, our achievements, and recognize the support we receive from each other on a daily basis.
Kwanzaa is based upon seven symbols in Swahili, which are principles. The first is Umoja (Unity) which means to strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
The second is Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) meaning to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
The is third Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), which means to build and maintain our community together and to solve problems together.
The fourth Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) means to build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
The fifth Nia (Purpose), means to put our community in order, which restores our people to their traditional greatness.
The sixth Kuumba (Creativity), means 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.
And the last, my personal favorite Imani (Faith), means to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
During the Kwanzaa celebration, seven candles, called Mishumaa Saba, represent the seven principles. The colors of Kwanzaa, and the candles are black, red and green. The black for the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle. The candles are not just held by any thing, the candles are placed in a candleholder called the Kinara, which Kinara symbolizes our roots, as a society. As each day of Kwanzaa passes, another candles it lit. On the seventh day all the candles are lit.
When my family celebrates Kwanzaa, we set up an area in our home. Which we decorate with many things including books, music, mats, candles, and fruit. A mat is place over this area called Mkeka, which is the foundation on which we build. The kinara, which symbolizes our roots, fresh fruits that stand for celebrations and of the rewards of productive and collective labor. The books and music are present to provide food for thought on the day’s topic. These things make the celebration more interesting.
A Kwanzaa ceremony from other families may include musical selections, libations, a reading of the African literature touching on the principle of the day, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and a feast (Karamu).
Each day of the seven days of Kwanzaa, candle lighting and a greeting starts the ceremony. The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani? Which is Swahili for “What’s the News?” My family answers this question by stating the principle of the day, followed by a reflection of how the given principle has been used in our life over the year, and how we plan to use it next year differently. The unity cup, Kikombe cha Umoja, is passed around during this discussion and everyone takes a sip of the juice within the cup. The discussion and reflection time can range anywhere between twenty and sixty minutes.
Like Christmas and Chunukah celebrators, families who celebrate Kwanzaa exchange gifts as well. On the seventh day of Kwanzaa, my family and I exchange what is known as Zawadi, which are gifts. The zawadi are symbols of the labor of the year, the love of parents and the commitments made.
