Kwanzaa for Unity in the African American Community

You've probably heard of the African American holiday of Kwanzaa but may have little to no idea what it stands for or why people celebrate it. Kwanzaa is a holiday of jubilation and family, much like Christmas. It begins on the 26th of December and continues until New Year's Day. This week-long time period was chosen specifically to coincide with the other holidays that occur around this time, such as Christmas and Hanukah. Interestingly, the holiday of Kwanzaa begins the day after Christmas to avoid the mad rush of Christmas shopping.

Kwanzaa is celebrated in many different ways in many different families, yet there are some tenets which are universal. Regardless of the family celebrating, every night of the week-long holiday one family member will light a candle and speak of one of the seven values of Kwanzaa. Each night a different value is discussed. These values are unity, community works, faith, community cooperation in economics, self motivation and responsibility, creativity and purpose. The family member who lights the candles and speaks of these values is quite often the youngest child in the household. On the last evening of Kwanzaa family and close friends congregate together to eat and celebrate the past year and the coming one.

Kwanzaa is not nearly as old a tradition as Christmas and Hanukah; it was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga. This time period was one marred by much civil unrest in the African American community and the holiday was a great way to bring the African Americans together and to help them persevere in their struggle for civil rights. Kwanzaa reminds African Americans that they have a common heritage, and that they must work as one to protect themselves as a people and to ensure the good futures of their children.

To achieve these ends Karenga took much inspiration from traditional harvest festivals of Africa and wove them into the tenets of Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa actually translates to "fresh fruit" in Kiswahili. (Kiswahili is the most prominent language in Africa so it is only fitting that a holiday for African Americans would get its name from that language.) Similarities between Kwanzaa and African Harvest Festivals are quite apparent. In both traditions there is an emphasis on family and community, and a celebration of culture. The goal for each person celebrating at these festivals (and during Kwanzaa) is to be thankful for their past and future happiness and to strive to be better, more productive members of their community.