In particular, he believed that the annual harvest festivals—in which communities came together to celebrate the fruits of their collective labor—were an apt model for building family, community, and culture.
Celebrations begin the day after Christmas and last for seven days. Each day is steeped in symbolism and ceremony. Upon that mat, they place other meaningful items, including assorted fruits and vegetables to symbolize their collective labor at the harvest, ears of corn to represent their children, and a candle holder that stands for a shared African heritage.
A black candle is placed in the center of the holder, flanked by three red candles to the left and three green candles to the right. Families and communities gather each day to light a candle and reflect on one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa , or Nguzo Saba in Swahili.
On December 26, the holiday kicks off with a meditation on unity umoja , followed by the principles of self-determination kujichagulia , collective work and responsibility ujima , cooperative economics ujamaa , purpose nia , creativity kuumba , and faith imani. On the first day, the black candle at the center of the holder is lit to represent all people of African descent.
On the penultimate day of Kwanzaa—which falls on December 31—celebrants typically hold a banquet, or karamu. Filled with music and dancing, this feast is a time to rejoice and renew commitments for personal growth in the year ahead. Families often give children small gifts on this day or on the last day of Kwanzaa. The holiday struggled for recognition in its early years, writes historian Elizabeth Pleck in the Journal of American Ethnic History. Although some urban communities adopted it, many Christians and Muslims viewed the secular holiday as antithetical to their beliefs.
Yet Kwanzaa continued to spread by word of mouth and, as it did so, the holiday became known as a celebration of Black family life. In the late s and early s, Kwanzaa broke into mainstream Black culture with features in influential magazines.
Rather than replace Christmas, though, most people began to see Kwanzaa as a way to supercharge their holiday season. Kwanzaa became widely recognized in the s and s. In , Bill Clinton issued the first U. Postal Service issued its first Kwanzaa stamp. By the s, however, media outlets such as the Associated Press and the Root were reporting that fewer Black families were celebrating Kwanzaa.
See 13 destinations for African-American history and culture. Estimates of how many Americans celebrate Kwanzaa have varied in recent years, from as few as a half a million to as many as 12 million. USA Today reported in that only 2. In —after another period of racial unrest over the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others—the Root examined whether the holiday might see a resurgence.
Umoja: Unity - To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Kujichagulia: Self-Determination - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility - To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and solve them together. Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics - To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia: Purpose - To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Kuumba: Creativity - To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Imani: Faith - To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Mazao: Crops - Mazao symbolizes the fruits of collective planning and work, and the resulting joy, sharing, unity and thanksgiving part of African harvest festivals.
To demonstrate mazao, people place nuts, fruits, and vegetables, representing work, on the mkeka. Mkeka: Place Mat - Just as the crops stand on the mkeka, the present day stands on the past. The mkeka symbolizes the historical and traditional foundation for people to stand on and build their lives.
Muhindi: Ear of Corn - The stalk of corn represents fertility and the idea that through children, the future hopes of the family are brought to life.
One vibunzi is placed on the mat for every child in the family. There are three red candles, three green candles, and one black candle that are placed on the kinara.
Kinara: The Candleholder - The kinara represents our ancestry, and the original stalk from which we came. Every family member and guest will take a drink together as a sign of unity and remembrance. Zawadi: Gifts - On the seventh day of Kwanzaa, gifts are given to encourage growth, achievement, and success. Handmade gifts are encouraged to promote self-determination, purpose, and creativity.
Bush released similar statements during their time in office. The holiday also has made inroads with the U. Postal Service, which has issued Kwanzaa stamps since But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
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