How many people celebrate Kwanzaa?

Question

I figured that I would ask this because I never heard of this holiday until recently. None of my African American friends celebrate this holiday and I really do not think they know how to. I am just curious.

What is the holiday centered around? How do you celebrate it?

Answer 1

One year, in high school, our family celebrated Kwanzaa. We lit the candles and reflected on the 7 Principles every night. My mom made us kids talk about how we could apply them today. It was a very educational and inspiring. During college, law school, and now as an adult, I try to attend at least 1 Kwanzaa event each year. In undergrad, as the president of the Black Student Association, I started our first pre-Kwanzaa celebration. One of the admissions counselors was a national authority on Kwanzaa and she made the celebrations fun as well as educational. One of the most spiritually powerful experiences I have ever had was at a pre-Kwanzaa celebration in law school. One of the professors was also a Christian minister. By the time he finished with us, there wasn't a heart that wasn't touched or an eye that was dry. I highly recommend Kwanzaa as way to continue into the New Year the fun and spiritual reflection that begin with the celebration of Christmas. However, it does take discipline to celebrate Kwanzaa. In this day and age, it is not easy to take a moment and just reflect and study and think. We rush to and fro trying to get things done. When I have children, I definitely want to incorporate Kwanzaa into our lives. It doesn't replace Christmas. However, it does replace the negative messages and images we see and hear about us, African-Americans, daily. I would like for my children to think good thoughts about us and what we have accomplished and can accomplish as a people.

Answer 2

Here's a quote from the founder of the Kwanzaa holiday, it was taken from the book he wrote several years ago:


This is how Karenga (the founder of Kwanzaa) feels about organized western religion, "....denies and diminishes human worth, capacity, potential and achievement. In Christian and Jewish MYTHOLOGY, humans are born in sin, cursed with mythical ancestors who've sinned and brought the wrath of an angry God on every generation's head." He similarly opposed belief in God and other "spooks who threaten us if we don't worship them and demand we turn over our destiny and daily lives."



I'm a black female, proud to be me, but I'm also a CHRISTIAN young woman. Re-read that quote and tell me why I should celebrate Kwanzaa...

Answer 3

My niece studied Kwanzaa in second grade, it sounded pretty cool, they have to make thoughtful gifts, by hand. Cant wait to hear more about it. Must be a lot of folks that celebrate it, they have a postage stamp.

Answer 4

of path you could. right this is an instantaneous quote from the sturdy internet site of Kwanzaa: "Kwanzaa is obviously an African holiday created for African peoples. yet human beings can and do rejoice it, basically like human beings take part in Cinco de Mayo as properly Mexicans; chinese language New 12 months as properly chinese language; interior of sight American pow wows as properly interior of sight human beings. Any particular message this is sturdy for a particular human beings, regardless of if it somewhat is human in its content textile and ethical in its grounding, speaks no longer basically to that folk, it speaks to the international. the concepts of Kwanzaa and the message of Kwanzaa has a favourite message for each physique of sturdy will. it somewhat is rooted in African subculture, and we talk as Africans could talk, no longer basically to ourselves, yet to the international. This maintains our custom of talking our own particular cultural certainty and making our own unique contribution to the forward bypass of human historic previous."

Answer 5

I dont even see how thats a holiday since nobody celebrates it!

Answer 6

Thousands

Answer 7

2 - Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. James Brown used to...

Answer 8

thats because its made up...it has nothing whatsoever to do with africa and is political pap...it was invented by a ucla proffessor in 1966 and was never intended to be african..it was simply politically correct. morgan freeman put it best. this isnt the solution...miss black america and black history month are the problem...separation and integration cannot coexist.

Answer 9

2 people in New Jersey

Answer 10

It is unclear how many people celebrate the holiday. According to a marketing survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation in 2004, Kwanzaa is celebrated by 1.6% of all Americans, or about 4.7 million.


Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa", or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba), These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles.

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 brother's and sister's problems our problems and to 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 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.

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.


Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth, especially the wearing of the Uwole by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, "Kikombe cha Umoja" passed around to all celebrants.


A model Kwanzaa ceremony is described as a ceremony which includes drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the "African Pledge" and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast. The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani" Swahili words for "What's the News?"