I
wanted to wish those celebrating a Joyous Kwanzaa!
What’s
Kwanzaa you ask? Well, it’s a week-long celebration, first celebrated in 1966,
that honors African heritage in African-American culture. While originally
supposedly created as an "oppositional alternative" to Christmas,
many people who celebrate Kwanzaa now also celebrate either/both Christmas and
New Year’s. In fact, the celebrating of Kwanzaa has even spread to other
countries, such as Canada.
There
are seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba. Each of the seven days of
Kwanzaa is dedicated to one: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination),
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity),
and Imani (Faith).
Kwanzaa
symbols (designed to convey the seven principles) include a decorative mat on which other symbols are placed. The other symbols are corn and
other crops, a candle holder kinara with seven candles, a communal cup
for pouring libation, gifts, a poster
of the seven principles, and a black, red, and green flag.
So what do you think? Did you know much about Kwanzaa or is this the first you're hearing about it? Let me know what you think down below.
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert on this topic, I am just sharing what I learned through my research, so please take this with a grain of salt. I am human, which means I make mistakes too, so if I misunderstood something please forgive me.
I didn't know much about Kwanzaa, so thanks about your informative post.
ReplyDeleteI know absolutely nothing about Kwanzaa so I found the post really informative. Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteI have heard about Kwanzaa but knew nothing about the holiday itself. Thanks for posting and sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteI knew basically nothing about Kwanzaa until your post. Thank you for enlightening me!
ReplyDelete