So, What about Kwanzaa?

Question

I believe to find out what something is one must go to the source or roots of its beginnings. I see that a professor in college created a holiday in the early to mid sixties as a "seperate" holiday as an alternative for blacks to celebrate instead of Christmas
now I see the evolving of the holiday has some very beneficial and helpful principles it adheres to. But just wondering a honest question if we want to indeed end segragation why then create a seperate holiday from everyone else? lets practice unity not seperation

no you haters....
i am not saying anything about religions
i was saying afro americans sometimes cry out that they are being segregated from the norms and activities of society but then they turn around and create their own slang and own holidays just to be different

Answer 1

An African-American cultural festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1.
secular seven-day festival in celebration of the African heritage of African Americans, beginning on Dec. 26. Developed by Maulana Karenga and first observed in 1966, Kwanzaa is based in part on traditional African harvest festivals but particularly emphasizes the role of the family and community in African-American culture. Each day is dedicated to a particular principle (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith), and on each day one of the candles on a seven-branched candelabrum is lighted. The celebration also includes the giving of gifts and a karamu, or African feast.

Answer 2

I'm atheist.

I celebrate Christmas, which as far as I'm concerned has nothing to do with Christ. Scientists couldn't associate Christ's death to anything close to December, and they neither could associate him with anything more than a great teacher, and a humanist.

If it would be about Christ, I would still celebrate, since if he was real, he must have been a very nice and moral HUMAN BEING, and I wouldn't mind celebrating such a human being.

Kwaanza is a holiday, which is "fake" as in not too many people have anything in common with this holiday, meaning most blacks do not originate from that culture where Kwaanza originates.

It's effect on the society is that it segregates people by race, which is what I think black people were fighting against for a long while...

It should be forgotten, or it should be incorporated into Christmas.

Answer 3

I totally agree with you, I dont see any reason to invent another holiday just to celebrate a certain ethnicity, cause in that case, we should all have a holiday every day. As far as Christmas, no one is forcing anyone to be Christian, and some blacks are muslim. And if they dont fit into either-well join the club, there are plenty of athiests but most dont feel the need to create a separate holiday for themselves. If blacks want to unite, it will take a lot more than a made up holiday......

Answer 4

Kwanzaa was not created to replace Christmas. Its for African Americans to reflect back on their roots and heritage. I, as an African American, celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas. The reason why African Americans create things to call their own is because throughout history, we have been deprived of certain things. Think back to the times of slavery on onward. Blacks were not allowed to congregate in white churches or attend white schools. That is why we we created Black Churches and Black Colleges, not to seperate but to give our people a chance. I hope you better understand the concept of the creation of the holiday as an act of reflection for Blacks and not a replacement for Christmas.

Answer 5

it made be a made up holiday by a man living in a time of racial tension and turmoil. He probably went to an extreme to seperate from the alleged "white holiday" christmas and decided to make a all black holiday,
but even if, so what? it as a holiday has some decent principles to adhere to a certain degree

Answer 6

Kwanzaa is a holiday that has NOTHING to do with religion. It's a holiday for African-Americans to celebrate how far they've come. From Africa all the way to America they've kept their religion strong and they practice the 7 principles of Kwanzaa. You're supposed to light a candle each day for each principal. Hoping that you will practice each one in the new year. It is about seperation but not from religion, it's about celebrating being an African-American. Not an African, but an African-American.

Answer 7

Go to Adrica an ask them about Kwanza and I guarantee you'll get stunned looks all around. They celebrate Christmas and Ramadan, Christians and Muslims. They don't know what Kwanza is.

It's a bogus, made up holiday and I agree with you that it was created by a sepratist whack job.

Christmas has been around for 2000 + years, Hannukah 5000 +, Kwanza about 35. Do the math here!!!!

Answer 8

The celebration of Kwanzaa (common alternate spellings are: Kwanza, Qwanza) is a seven day celebration that runs from Dec 26th to January 1st. It has its origins (albeit mythically) in ancient African customs dating back to the time of the Egyptian pharaos. It is a celebration of the "first fruit" of the first harvest.

The phrase that it gets its name from is "matunda ya kwanza", which means "first fruits" in Swahili. This holiday, while not historic as such, was created in honor of African peoples and their culture going back thousands of years by Dr. Maulana (Ron) Karenga during his leadership of the black nationalist United Slaves Organization. Dr. Karenga himself said in retrospect that "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."

Kwanzaa was finally recognized in the United States in 1966 – an activist success of the Black Freedom Movement as African Americans began to got more in touch with their heritage and developed a new pride in who they are as a people.

Answer 9

Do you mean by "why then create a seperate holiday from everyone else", that we should ALL be Christian? Lets practice unity means to you "Why doesn't everyone just practice my religion and do what I do"?

Answer 10

I read your question 4 times to get the concept of your question ,African american celebrate the commemoration of Martin Luther King.Christians african american celebrate christmas,If we practice unity in every aspect of our life, Our life on this earth is sooo boring and stagnant.