Kwanzaa - Dec 25 - Jan 1 - An Alternative To Christmas {?}

What ever happened to Kwa wa wa - wa tever? Here's the skinny.

Frist, some of you have no idea what we are talking about. So let's start with a little history.
From Wikipedia:

An African-American scholar and social activist, Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first African-American holiday. Karenga said his goal was to "...give Blacks an 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." 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.
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 their African cultural and historical heritage by uniting in meditation and study of "African traditions" and "common humanist principles." The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service on October 22, 1997 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.
The origins of Kwanzaa are not secret and are openly acknowledged by those promoting the holiday. Many Christian and Jewish African-Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas and Hanukkah.

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 what Karenga called "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. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, 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.

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. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "joyous Kwanzaa".

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include 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", which is Swahili for "What's the News?".

At first, observers of Kwanzaa eschewed [eschew: to avoid, to stay away from] 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.


It is the position of MidKnight Review that Kawanzaa [originally] was a response to the systemic anger that typifies much of the Black community. We hasten to add that much of this anger is fully justifiable but it is anger, nonetheless. The very fact that this Black celebration includes December 25 and was initially intended to be a celebrative alternative to Christmas seems to support our impression of this event.

We do not bemoan the move away from the Christmas Tree or the commercial disaster that has become the American Christmas, but there is great sadness in the realization that many of the intended purposes of this invented holiday are the very concerns of the Living Christ. But, then, this "holy day" is about the continued establishment of the American Black culture in celebration of its ancestral culture (the two are quite different, you know).

In defense of this event, one might argue that Christmas is no longer about the Christ and, hence, Kawanzaa is not a cultural rebuttal to the Christ event. M.R. acknowledges this point and hopes for the best.

Perhaps the fact that Kawanzaa is nowhere to be seen, as in times past, may signal the end to this holiday as a segregated event intended as a protest. Certainly, most of the other cultures in this country have their special events and concerns with regard to the loss of cultural identity. What began in the mid-1960's has apparently come full-circle and may now become more representative of a culture that is standing on its own while attempting to be a part of the larger community.

Obama is a black man and has made an effort at bemoaning black. We expect him to function as President with the concerns of the Black Culture as an important influence. We - all non-Blacks - are being challenged to accept the cultural differences as a fact of life. If Obama is good for the country, great. If he is not, our God in Christ is Sovereign to it all. God's "kingdom" is not this world or any facsimile thereof , contrary to popular opinion. Geography has nothing to do with "kingdom." It is all about the relationship of God and Man and our coming along side this Great God Almighty.