It's supposed to be a week-long holiday honoring African culture and traditions but is tainted by its founder and original purpose. Seven principles of Kwanzaa . It is a cultural holiday, not a religious . Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has denounced Kwanzaa as a "fake religion" just as millions of Black people start to celebrate the weeklong holiday. The name is derived from Swahili meaning "first fruits". a) The United States. "It's a part of Africa, a celebration of creation and Christ," says the Rev. . It was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a way for Black people to honor their shared African roots, and is celebrated by millions around the world alongside Christmas and Hanukkah. I was created in the United States in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, and activist of the Black nationalism group US Organization. Kwanzaaa, which lasts for seven days, is a holiday festival, not a religion as Greene claims. A pioneering work about a deeply important holiday." - M.K. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday not a religious one. The children we teach are so diverse that it's likely that Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa aren't going to cover the breadth of beliefs and cultures represented in our classrooms. Many elements of Kwanzaa come from African harvest celebrations. It is intended to be a . Kwanzaa is not a religion but rather a holiday festival created in 1966 as a celebration of African roots for Black people around the world. And I have a hard time believing that teachers who are doing the same holiday dance over and over each year have students with the exact same backgrounds every . Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called Kwanzaa a "fake religion created by a psychopath" on Sunday as millions began to celebrate the weeklong holiday. Drawing on African traditions . The far-right Georgia . Karenga's original concept was to provide African-Americans with a time to focus on the cultural heritage and values of Africa and to provide an alternative to Christmas. Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called Kwanzaa a . The religious critics of Kwanzaa have it backwards. . They can be elaborate or sentimentally simple. It begins at 12:01 AM on December 26th and ends on January 1st so that it does not compete with Christmas or Yule/Solstice. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University, Long Beach after the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. On day three, the green candle on the immediate left side of the . hey family.. Kwanzaa is celebrated beginning on December 26. Podcasts Classifieds Archives Thursday, July 28, 2022 The Kwanzaa celebration lasts for seven days and is not meant to mimic an African holiday. Developed in 1966 during the Black Freedom movement, this holiday is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st. Included in the celebration is a 7-prong candle called the Kinara. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. Christianity And Kwanzaa. Many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas. The far-right Georgia lawmaker berated the national College Republicans for "pandering and BS" after the GOP group tweeted a seemingly innocuous happy holiday message. Kwanzaa is a celebration of African heritage and Black culture, and it's also meant to be a counter to holidays that center mainstream culture and consumerism. It is estimated that some 18 million African Americans take part in Kwanzaa. 6. It takes its name from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which in Swahili means "first fruits." Kwanzaa's origin lies in the 1960s civil rights and Black Freedom movements, and is a way of commemorating the African heritage of black Americans whose ethnic history was stripped away by the slave trade. Kwanzaa was first . So, it in no way competes with or serves as a substitute for the faith-based observances that have lasted for centuries. And it builds on African commonality, not on the religious, political and other choices we make which often separate us and cause us to . Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. I came across a websit by someone names Carlotta Morrow discussing the "dangers" of celebrating Kwanzaa. 1480 East 9400 South Sandy, UT 84093 Secondly, you're a small, vile, hateful creature and you have no business . On day one, the black candlealso known as the unity candleis lit. Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, and so it can be celebrated by Black people who are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, or agnostic. Kwanzaa. It is a celebration of African heritage, unity, culture and traditional values. The far-right Georgia lawmaker berated the . Dave Goldiner 12/27/2021. Kwanzaa runs from December 26th-January 1st. Likewise, Kwanzaa is a real holiday to the 6 million or so people celebrating it yearly. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene called out Kwanzaa, a six-day-long winter holiday meant to celebrate African-American culture, as being a "fake religion" that was "created by a . Safa Robinson, the museum's education coordinator says Kwanzaa is a non-religious cultural holiday: "Kwanzaa runs every year, the day after Christmas, for an entire week." She says a candle is lit . Kwanzaa Kwanzaa ( / kwn.z /) is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the sixth day. Asante, Jr., director of The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition is a vital resource that will enrich and enhance the discipline of African-American Studies. ( . By: Alison Cooper. Kwanzaa, a seven-day holiday that celebrates African-American heritage, is the brainchild of Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana . In the heaviest and most unpredictable of times (we're glaring at you coronavirus), traditions offer a welcomed respite. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include. (CNN) Christmas might be over, but Kwanzaa is just getting started. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one with an inherent spiritual quality as with all major African celebrations. Kwanzaa is a secular seven day holiday beginning on December 26th. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. In 1997 Karenga stated in the text Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." Instead, Karenga argued, the purpose of Kwanzaa was to study Nguzu Saba, which were the seven principles of African Heritage. Dino . 5 Vasant Panchami (Hindu) . Sunday, December 26, 2021 (All day) to Saturday, January 1, 2022 (All day) Event Type: School Calendar. Kwanzaa for many is an alternative to Christmas, where African Americans can celebrate seven key principles that helped us to overcome the adversity of slavery and racism. [1] It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa. Five fundamental activities of Kwanzaa In African-American culture Kwanzaa is a time for five fundamental activities: To reestablish interpersonal bonds. As Business Insider pointed ou t, Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, who, in 1970, was convicted along with three other members of the US Organization, a Black liberation group, of . Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has denounced Kwanzaa as a "fake religion" just as millions of Black people start to celebrate the weeklong holiday. It was created in 1966 as a way to allow Black people worldwide to celebrate their common African roots. And thus, Africans of all faiths can and do celebrate Kwanzaa: Black Christians, Muslims, Hebrews, Jews, Buddhists, Bah', and Hindus, as well as those who follow the ancient African spiritual and ethical traditions of Maat, Ifa, Ashanti, Dogon, etc. Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that celebrates African American heritage and culture across the diaspora. To commemorate and honor ancestors. . The black candle in the center is lit by itself on the first night of Kwanzaa and together with a red or green candle each night thereafter. Kwanzaa celebrates the origins of African Americans. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the U.S. to honor African-American heritage and culture. Photo by Joseph LaValley, courtesy of Flickr. 1) They take upon the assumption that . Kwanzaa's meaning for Black community. To commit to following cultural ideals. Each of the days of the celebration is dedicated to one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity ( umoja ), self-determination ( kujichagulia ), collective responsibility ( ujima ), cooperative economics ( ujamaa ), purpose ( nia ), creativity ( kuumba ), and faith ( imani ). The man who created the holiday, Maulana Karenga (born Ronald McKinley Everett), described the 2019 celebration as "An All-Seasons Celebration and Practice of the . toylin. See more. 3 Four Chaplains Day (Interfaith) Sunday observances may be on February 6, 2022. Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Sabathe seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." However, it appears that for Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is white, the holiday is nothing more than a made-up "religion." 1Feast of St. Brighid of Kildare (Celtic Christian) 2Candlemas (Presentation of Christ in the Temple) (Christian) 2Imbolc (Lughnassadh) (Northern/Southern hemisphere) (Wicca, pagan) 2Groundhog Day. During each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa, a candle is lit. Kwanzaa is a week long celebration held in the United States to honor universal African heritage and culture.People light a kinara (candle holder with seven candles) and give each other gifts.It takes place from December 26 to January 1 every year. The holiday is modeled after harvest festivals. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Created by Karenga in the mid-1960s as the first completely African-American holiday, Kwanzaa celebrations honor African heritage and culture. 5 Kwanzaa Traditions. On the second day, the red candle on the immediate right of the unity candle is burned. "It is based on African first harvest celebrations organized around five . The word Kwanzaa is taken from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza meaning first fruits. Religion Kwanzaa is an African American holiday that celebrated by millions within the African American community. Stockbyte/ Thinkstock. Kwanzaa, the holiday ostensibly celebrating black history and culture, runs from Dec. 26-Jan. 1. . However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so that practicing Christians would not be alienated, then stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A . This holiday was developed by Dr. Maulana Karenga and is observed by African-Americans. Instead of rejecting Kwanzaa and embracing the religion of consumer capitalism that co-opts the Christmas story, observant Christians should regard it as a new mode of expressing their faith. The far-right Georgia lawmaker berated the national College Republicans for "pandering and BS" after the GOP group tweeted a seemingly innocuous happy holiday message. Kwanzaa is a secular seven day holiday beginning on December 26th. In 1966, Dr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa as the first African-American holiday which is celebrated from December to the first week of January.