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Origins and Celebrations of Kwanzaa
Rate it! Votes (0) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: Kwanzaa Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do), by Carol Gnojewski, (2004, Enslow Elementary)	Kwanzaa Crafts (Fun Holiday Crafts Kids Can Do)

Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration of cultural reaffirmation, is a fairly recent addition to the holidays of the world.

Since its founding in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than 15 million people worldwide. Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili , evolved from Dr. Karenga's belief that African-Americans needed an annual event to celebrate their differences rather than the melting pot. Deeply disturbed by the 1965 riots in Los Angeles' Watts area, he founded the holiday to celebrate the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement.

Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious, although it is a spiritual celebration of the goodness of life. Its principles, practices and symbols are geared to the social and spiritual needs of African-Americans and are designed to strengthen and unify the community and honor the past.

Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration that begins on Dec. 26 and continues through Jan. 1. It is a week of remembering, reassessing, recommitting, rewarding and rejoicing. The holiday is based on seven guiding principles, one for each day: Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.

Contrary to many misconceptions, Kwanzaa is not a substitute for Christmas, but a life affirming celebration in its own right.

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