What is Kwanzaa?

Question

Mav wonder - what is Kwanzaa? Mav know it's an African American celebration, but that's about it.
Mav have funny story about Kwanzaa. Mavs girl offspring born Dec 26. They tell her in school that Kwanzaa start Dec 26. Mav girl offspring was only 7. She thought it would be a grand was ot celebrate her birthdeay!!
Mav not African American.

Answer 1

I am not here to answer your question but ask an addition question to the meaning of Kwanza : if the name is originated from Swahili "Fisrt" - (the language spoken in East Africa and by now it has been regarded as African official language - Swahili is comes from Arabic word "Swahel" - Costal or offshore) then was Swahili been spoken already by the time of slaverly trade? I am sorry I do not trace this word "Kwanza" from any early Bantu language, even when we speak about "Kinara or Mnara" these words straight are related to "Mnarat" in Arabic means "Tower" -
Sometimes I wonder, where did Arabs sell their slaves mostly were from Congo via Tanganyika and sailed from Mombasa and Zanzibar, today I find many African American claiming or trace back their origin from West Africa - while Congo is Central Africa - there is massive differences of cultures,languages,belief,food,between Central and West Africa even though all African Bantu look alike.Unless we want to trace million of years not based on slavery trade.For example a person could claim to be from Germany but the fact he could be from Sweden, just like Chinese and Japanese (totaly different people even though they look alike) - I suggest make use of DNA to trace your origin.Some brothers of African America origin (tall with sharp features) look like Masai found in Kenya Tanzania and some like Tutsi tribe found in Rwanda/Burundi/North Congo- believe to be decendants of Arabs/Indian/People of the niles possibly people of Pharoah,some like Brother Tyson and 50 cents (short and ....) - are typical Bantu.

Answer 2

Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture. It is celebrated for seven days: December 26 - January 1.



The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili. The kinara is the center of the Kwanzaa setting and represents the original stalk from which we came: our ancestry.

Answer 3

Kwanzaa (or Kwaanza) is a week-long secular holiday honoring African-American heritage, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, almost exclusively by African-Americans in the United States of America.

Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was founded by controversial black nationalist Ron Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures

Answer 4

It is a holiday that was made up to give African Americans their own version of Christmas. They are on a path of separatism from the rest of society and Kwanza is just one example. Of course their are claims by some that it's based on some already existent African holiday or combination of holidays,but there is no evidence I'vr ever seen to support that. Funny how someone can obsess over a "homeland" that they have never seen while ignoring the place they live. Most "African Americans know no more about Africa than I do. And I claim to be no great font of knowledge,just try to learn what I can.

Answer 5

Kwanzaa (or Kwaanza) is a week-long secular holiday honoring African-American heritage, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, almost exclusively by African-Americans in the United States of America.

Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was founded by controversial black nationalist Ron Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures.

Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in California in 1966, during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization (also known as the "US Organization"), in order to give African Americans an alternative holiday to Christmas. He later stated, "...it was chosen to give a Black 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."


Ron Karenga, founder of KwanzaaConcerning those who thought he was adapting kwanzaa from a traditional African practice, Karenga noted "People think it's African, but it's not. I came up with Kwanzaa because black people wouldn't celebrate it if they knew it was American. Also, I put it around Christmas because I knew that's when a lot of Bloods were partying."

The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960's, though most African-Americans have West African ancestry.

An additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's United Slaves Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa Also, the name was meant to have a letter for each of what Karenga called the "Seven Principles of Blackness". Kwanzaa is also sometimes spelled "kwaanza".


1997 Kwanzaa stampIt is a celebration that has its roots in the civil rights era of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with what Karenga characterized as their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that have their putative origins in what Karenga asserts are "African traditions" and "common humanist principles."

Answer 6

its a made up holiday that some black lady made up becasue she wanted something special for black people, she supposedly took some stuff from africa hanakkah and christams and treid to make it something special for her and other black folks. so to get real details you have to find an black person who feels they must struggle to keep thier identity or something.