Kwanzaa is a unique African American celebration with focus on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Kwanzaa is neither political nor religious and despite some misconceptions, is not a substitute for Christmas. It is simply a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture. Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of the harvest" in the African language Kiswahili, has gained tremendous acceptance. Since its founding in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has come to be observed by more than 18 million people worldwide, as reported by the New York Times. When establishing Kwanzaa in 1966, Dr. Karenga included an additional "a" to the end of the spelling to reflect the difference between the African American celebration (kwanzaa) and the Motherland spelling (kwanza). Kwanzaa is based on the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles), one for each day of the observance, and is celebrated from December 26th to January 1st.

It seems there are some questionable circumstances regarding Kwanzaa's founder. Nonetheless, the holiday is recognized and celebrated by many in the African-American community. There are Kwanzaa cards available at Hallmark and "Happy Kwanzaa" announcements on TV. That's enough to satisfy me that it is not fake in the true sense of the word. Manufactured? Perhaps. A lot of people argue that many holiday's are "manufactured"-the greeting card industry usually stands accused of such manufacturing. :) Having said that. . . Kwanza , secular seven-day festival in celebration of the African heritage of African Americans, beginning on Dec. 26. Developed by Maulana Karenga and first observed in 1966, Kwanzaa is based in part on traditional African harvest festivals but particularly emphasizes the role of the family and community in African-American culture. Each day is dedicated to a particular principle (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith), and on each day one of the candles on a seven-branched candelabrum is lighted. The celebration also includes the giving of gifts and a karamu, or African feast. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/k/kwanzaa.asp)

Travel to Africa and ask anyone you want. It has never been a part of any African culture. Kwanzaa is unknown to them because it truly is a fabrication.

Kwanzaa is a fake holiday created to further separate the races. It was created by an African American radical who was in prison for torture type crimes. Enough said on this! Now imagine this, I am of Latino descent. Let's go create a new holiday! Let's call it "Dias de Fiesta" or Party Days. What? Ooooh, it is offensive to some South Americans because they point out that the name is "too Mexican"? Ok, so, for South Americans we'll create a new one, called "Dias de Felicidad" or Happy Days.... What? Ooooh, it is offensive to the people of Paraguay because it does not pay respect to the decimation of their people during the Paraguayan War.... Ok, so for Paraguay, we'll call it "Dias de Reflexion" or Days of Reflection... WHAAAAT? Oooh it is offensive to the Guarani Indians, because of their partial enslavement by the white hispaniard colonizers.... Ok, so for those people who want to celebrate it as a Guarani Holiday, we'll call it "ayvu porã"......And it doesn't matter if you are an Greenlandic Inuit Eskimo.... And so on..... Do you see where it is going? Diversity is one thing, it is an individual thing, not only a race, a sexual preference, sex, height, weight, beauty factor, political affiliations, hobbies, TV Choices, profession, travel choices, etc...etc...) Taking things to the extreme and creating so many subdivisions and complexities creates chaos, confusion and division among many groups of people, NOT UNITY!

Ron Karenga (born July 14, 1941), also known as Ron Everett, is an author and activist best known as the founder of the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, first celebrated in California, December 26, 1966 to January 1, 1967. Karenga is commonly called "Maulana," which is not a name, but a title which means "master teacher" in Swahili. Karenga was chairman of the black studies department at California State University, Long Beach from 1989 to 2002. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maulana_Karenga Kwanzaa is from Swahili, meaning "First Fruits." Created by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, Kwanzaa is a 7 day spiritual, festive, and joyous celebration of the oneness and goodness of life and community as demonstrated in this holiday's rituals which include lighting candles, reciting prayers, singing songs and gift-giving. The focus of Kwanzaa is centered around the seven principles (Nguzo Saba). It is a time for gathering of our families, and for a rededication to manifesting the principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba) as a way of life for Black Americans. The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa: UMOJA (oo-MOE-jah)- unity. KUJICHAGULIA (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah)- self-determination. UJIMA (oo-JEE-mah)- collective work and responsibility. UJAMAA (oo-JAH-mah)- cooperative economics. NIA (nee-AH)- purpose. KUUMBA (koo-OOM-bah)- creativity. IMANI (ee-MAH-nee)- faith. Kwanzaa also maintains seven symbols: Mkeka is a straw mat Mishumaa are the seven candles of Kwanzaa Kinara is the candle holder Karamu is the name for the feast of Kwanzaa Kikombe cha umoja is a cup Muhindi are ears of corn Though a modern holiday, Kwanzaa's customs and traditions are quite ancient. Visit these sites to explore more of Kwanzaa's meaning and history. Kwanzaa Information Center Kwanzaa: An African-American Holiday Happy Kwanzaa Festivals.com With its roots in the African Harvest, food is an integral part of the Kwanzaa celebration. Check out some of these Kwanzaa recipes to help you prepare a feast for your family and friends. http://www.mindspring.net/community/featurepgs/xmas98/dec27/

I'm not a fan of Karenga, but I have celebrated Kwanzaa and it was always celebrated by people of all cultures and races where I lived. I think some of the responses here are as misguided as some of the answers. Kwanzaa is indeed a creation by Karenga but I don't think it's any more or less the stuff of fabrication than Christmas, which I also celebrate. Have a good one all:)

The topic is about Kwanzaa, not about the origin of Christmas. At the Kwanzaa founders trial for assault and false imprisonment,a psychiatrist report on Karenga stated: “This man now represents a picture which can be considered both paranoid and schizophrenic with hallucinations and illusions, inappropriate affect, disorganization, and impaired contact with the environment.” That's enough to make anyone think twice.

From the official Kwanzaa website, I quote: " Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language. The first-fruits celebrations are recorded in African history as far back as ancient Egypt and Nubia and appear in ancient and modern times in other classical African civilizations such as Ashantiland and Yorubaland. These celebrations are also found in ancient and modern times among societies as large as empires (the Zulu or kingdoms (Swaziland) or smaller societies and groups like the Matabele, Thonga and Lovedu, all of southeastern Africa. Kwanzaa builds on the five fundamental activities of Continental African "first fruit" celebrations: ingathering; reverence; commemoration; recommitment; and celebration." Here's the entire description: http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/origins1.shtml - and also make sure to see the rest of the website... it is quite interesting.

Kwanzaa is a celebration of life and the up life of human beings based on the principles of African culture. It is celebrated by some African Americans between December 26 and January 1, and is a week long celebration. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Mulana Karenga/Ron Karenga (born Ron Everett), a professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Karenga is an author and activist who stressed the indispensable need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote American culture through African rituals. Dr. Karenga is chairperson of the organization US.

Kwanzaa, an annual holiday celebrating Pan-African culture, community, and thanksgiving, is an African-American interpretation of ancient African "first fruit" festivals; linguistically, it's name is a shortened version, derivation, and adaptation of the Kiswahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" meaning first fruits. It, observed from Dec. 26th thru Jan. 1st, is a commemoration occurring, according to Ghana's Akan people, "when the edges of the year meet" - a two-fold period in which God is thanked for blessings received in the previous 12-month cycle and the Creator is asked to bestow strength, guidance, happiness and prosperity in the new year. Kwanzaa, developed in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga (cultural scientist), is also a formal venue for sharing the best of African ethos and personality with the world from the eyes, vantage point and interpretation of African-Americans. Baruti Katembo, Asst. Prof. - Edward Waters College Mathematics Department mhenga320@yahoo.com or bikatembo@ewc.edu

Kwanzaa does not give respect that Africa is a continent with thousands of cultural traditions depending on ethnic group/tribe, language, religion, and demographics. We are stupid to claim everything that is African as African Americans as our heritage. Our ancestor may not have had certain traditions that we say are part of us, because they did not come from the group or country that practiced it. That is were African Americans who take on this idea of doing all things African make their mistakes. Kwanzaa is made up by a criminal who originally designed it as a separatist holiday. He has been quoted as saying that this holiday was the "alternative" holiday for blacks to celebrate and that we shouldn't celebrate preexisting holidays that was put upon us by the dominant society (white society). Our celebration of Christmas may have had a pagan time or way, but it celebrates an event "the birth of Christ". That is a historical fact, even though his resurrection is may not be believed by everyone and the timing of is birth did not happen on Dec. 25th. So, we do have a true event in Christmas. Even St. Nicholas (who gave rise to the Santa Claus legend) was an actual person. Christianity and Judaism started in what we now call the Middle East, so it is hardly a "white person only" holiday, contrary to what Dr. Karenga had to say.

Kwanzaa, an annual holiday celebrating Pan-African culture, community, and thanksgiving, is an African-American interpretation of ancient African "first fruit" festivals; linguistically, its name is a shortened version, derivation, and adaptation of the Kiswahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" meaning first fruits. It, observed from Dec. 26th thru Jan. 1st, is a commemoration occurring, according to Ghana's Akan people, "when the edges of the year meet" - a two-fold period in which God is thanked for blessings received in the previous 12-month cycle and the Creator is asked to bestow strength, guidance, happiness and prosperity in the new year. Kwanzaa, developed in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga (cultural scientist), is also a formal venue for sharing the best of African ethos and personality with the world from the eyes, vantage point and interpretation of African-Americans. Baruti Katembo, Asst. Prof. - Edward Waters College Mathematics Department (mhenga320@yahoo.com or bikatembo@ewc.edu)

It's a bunk holiday made up by some dude who lived in Colorado in 1962. He decided to create a "traditional African holiday" ... completely ignoring the fact that Africa has more diverse tribes, traditions and religions than any continent on Earth, and the minor detail of his never actually setting FOOT on Africa in his life. It's pretty much the equivalent of my deciding to create an Official Irish Potato Harvest Day and demanding not only that the whole of the Irish population celebrate that instead of Valentine's Day, but that the commercial media must cleave to my Potato Festival, no longer saying "Happy Valentine's Day" because the Irish no longer celebrate Valentine's day, only Potato Harvest day... and everyone on the street will then have to salute each other with a "Joyous Greetings" because I find "Happy Valentines' Day" offensive as it does not mention Potato Harvest Day.

Wikipedia definition: Kwanzaa (or Kwaanza) is a week-long Pan-African festival celebrated primarily in the United States, honoring African American heritage. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. Kwanzaa consists of seven days of celebration, featuring activities such as candle-lighting and pouring of libations, and culminating in a feast and gift giving. It was created by Ron Karenga, and first celebrated from December 26, 1966, to January 1, 1967, timed to coincide with Christmas so that it would be remembered. Karenga calls Kwanzaa the African American branch of "first fruits" celebrations of classical African cultures. History and etymology In 1966 Karenga created Kwanzaa while living in California. There, he was the leader of the black nationalist US Organization and he claims that his goal was to give an alternative holiday to Christmas. In Karenga's words "The Christian is our worse enemy. Quiet as it's kept, it was a Christian who enslaved us. Quiet as it's kept it's a Christian who burns us. Quiet as it's kept it's a Christian who beats us down on the street; and quiet as it's kept when the thing goes down it'll be a Christian that's shooting us down. You have to face the fact that if the Christian is doing all this there must be something wrong with Christanity." He later stated, "...it was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." At the time he created Kwanzaa, he changed his last name from Everett to the Gikuyu "Karenga", shaved his head, and began wearing traditional African clothing. The name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", meaning "first fruits". The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol of Pan-Africanism, especially in the 1960s, though most African-Americans have West African ancestry. Karenga stated "People think it's African, but it's not. I came up with Kwanzaa because Black people wouldn't celebrate it if they knew it was American. The official stance on the spelling of the holiday is that an additional "a" was added to "Kwanza" so that the word would have seven letters. At the time there were seven children in Karenga's US Organization, each wanted to represent one of the letters in Kwanzaa Also, the name was meant to have a letter for each of what Karenga called the "Seven Principles of Blackness". Another explanation is that Karenga added the extra "a" to distinguish the African-American meaning from the African one. Kwanzaa is also sometimes incorrectly spelled "kwaanza". Kwanzaa is a celebration that has its roots in the black nationalist movement of the 1960s, and was established as a means to help African Americans reconnect with what Karenga characterized as their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study around principles that have their putative origins in what Karenga asserts are "African traditions" and "common humanist principles." In 1967, a year after Karenga proposed this new holiday, he publicly espoused the view that "Jesus was psychotic" and that Christianity was a white religion that blacks should shun. However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so as not to alienate practicing Christians, then stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." 1997 Kwanzaa stampAlso in 1997, the first Kwanzaa stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service on October 22 at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, California. In 2004 a second Kwanzaa stamp, created by artist Daniel Minter was issued which has seven figures in colorful robes symbolizing the seven principles. Principles of Kwanzaa Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called "The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa", or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba - "The Seven Principles of Blackness"), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy" consisting of Karenga's distillation of what he deemed "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason that Karenga used to refer to his synthesized system of belief. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, which are explained by Karenga as follows: Umoja (Unity) To strive for and to 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 brothers' and sisters' 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. These principles correspond to Karenga's notion that "the sevenfold path of blackness is think black, talk black, act black, create black, buy black, vote black, and live black." Popularity 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 (about 13% of all African-Americans), or about 4.7 million. In a 2006 speech, Karenga asserted that 28 million people celebrate Kwanzaa. He has always maintained it is celebrated all over the world. Lee D. Baker puts the number at 12 million. Pan-African topics General Pan-Africanism Black Nationalism Socialism Communism Kwanzaa Colonialism Africa Maafa Black People African philosophy Black nationalism Black orientalism Afrocentrism Art FESPACO African Art PAFF People George Padmore Walter Rodney Patrice Lumumba Thomas Sankara Frantz Fanon Sékou Touré Kwame Nkrumah Marcus Garvey Malcolm X W. E. B. Du Bois C.L.R. James Cheikh Anta Diop -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This box: view • talk • edit In President George W. Bush's 2004 Presidential Kwanzaa Message, he said that during Kwanzaa, "millions of African Americans and people of African descent gather to celebrate their heritage and ancestry." The holiday greeting is "joyous Kwanzaa". Observance 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 woman lights kinara candles on a table decorated with the symbols of Kwanzaa.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 (Karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is "Habari Gani", Swahili words for "What's the News?" At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays. They felt that doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African-American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's. Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, share space in kwanzaa celebrating households. To them, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas. Cultural exhibitions include "The Spirit of Kwanzaa", an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry. Evolution in Kwanzaa's observance In 1977, in Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa "was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." In 1997, Karenga changed his position, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: "other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans." Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people's religion or faith but a common ground of African culture...Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one." Karenga's most recent interpretation emphasizes that while every people have their various holiday traditions, all people can share in the celebration of our common humanity: "Any particular message that is good for a particular people, if it is human in its content and ethical in its grounding, speaks not just to that people, it speaks to the world." Criticism There has been criticism of Kwanzaa's authenticity and relevance, and of the motivations of its founder, Karenga. Kwanzaa has been criticized because it is not a traditional holiday of African people, and because of its recent provenance, having been invented in 1966. In 1999, syndicated columnist (and later White House Press Secretary) Tony Snow wrote that "There is no part of Kwanzaa that is not fraudulent." Other conservative writers have remarked on the Marxist leanings of Karenga and some of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, questioning whether Kwanzaa should be taught in American schools. Furthermore, some Christians see Kwanzaa as an organized attempt to detract from Christmas.