Day 5, NIA KWANZAA is a seven day cultural holiday honored in the African and African-American communities, in celebration of their culture, family, and history. The shape of Kinara can be straight lines, or semicircles, or even spirals. “Happy Kwanzaa” and Swahili Greetings You Need to Know In addition to principles and symbols, there are greetings associated with Kwanzaa. Observed from December 26 to January 1, Kwanzaa is based on a mixture of East African harvest rituals, called " first fruits " by Karenga and 1960's radicalism. In the year 1965, a person named James Baldwin said, “History is not something that is to be read. Happy World Family Day in India 2020 {Everything You Need! The noun KWANZAA has 1 sense: 1. a festival featuring African-American culture; celebrated between Christmas and New Year. Happy Kwanzaa Meaning 2020 Decorations: Set up by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is the day celebrated in order to build and reinforce the American and African communities together. The kinara forms the centre of the Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday observed every year from December 26 to January 1. Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist who later became a college … If the family does not have any child, two ears are place on the mkeka, the reason being that two people are responsible for bringing the child to birth in this universe. The soloists sing the meaning of each of The Seven Principles again, while the children shout out the numbers one through seven. It is observed in the US from 26th December … Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration of African-American culture that begins on December 26th and ends on January 1st. The first day of Kwanzaa honors Umoja or unity. The seven candles — three red, three green and one black in the middle — all represent the seven principles. To date, it remains a nonreligious celebration of family and social values. “The stamp, which was hand-sketched and digitally colored, evokes a sense of inner peace with its cool tones and vibrant design elements to give a festive feel to the celebration of Kwanzaa,” the U.S. (pronoun) Enter email address to receive updates from Face2face Africa Traditional, gifts center on learning, thus, books about African heritage and culture are ideal. An African feast known as Karamu takes place on December 31, and comes with steps such as “a kukaribisha (welcoming), kuumba (remembering), kushangilla (rejoicing), tamshi la tambiko (libation statement), kutoa majina (calling of names), the karamu feast and tamshi la tutaonana (farewell statement),” according to a report by CNN. In Africa, there are many customs that are common among the various ethnic groups found on the continent. Happy Kwanzaa Kwanzaa (/ˈkwɑːn.zə/) is a week-long celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the Western African diaspora in the Americas. Dr. Karenga was a professor and Chairman of Black Studies at the California State University, Long Beach. The place mat called the Mkeka is made out of cloth and straw that comes from Africa. She loves writing about health and women's issues in Africa and the African diaspora. Each day of Kwanzaa highlights a specific principle. One principle is allocated to each of the seven days of the festivities. Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday observed every year from December 26 to January 1. The seven candles in the candle holder symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa, Nguzo Saba. Happy holidays! All Rights Reserved. The word Kwanzaa means ‘first fruits of a harvest’ or simply the ‘first fruits’. Given the profound significance Kwanzaa has for African Americans and indeed, the world African community, it is imperative that an authoritative source and site be made available to give an accurate and expansive account of its origins, concepts, values, symbols and practice. On every night of the seven nights, the family members gather at the Church or at their home itself. Submit, Mildred Europa Taylor Dec 26, 2020 at 08:00am, December 26, 2020 at 08:00 am | Opinions & Features. Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Karenga in the year 1966 and is observed from 26th of December to the 1st of January every year since then. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves. These are placed in the mishumaa saba in a specific order. These greetings are in the East African language of Swahili, which is the language chosen to represent Kwanzaa’s ideals, which come from a vast amalgam of traditional African societies. 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