Kwanzaa - xpost

Karyn, I do not think they celebrate Kwanzaa in South Africa. You might want to check on that.

Hello, No, they don't specifically celebrate it there, but some of the origins of it originate in SA - such as the idea of a seven day celebration which comes from harvest schedules in Zululand. It was created by an African American, but with the idea of Pan-Africanism - so I thought it would be a neat thing for us to do as a family. Alot of the messages are in line with our values already.

that is interesting.. I never knew that. I am not sure why the used swahili words instead of Zulu. I am learning something new everyday.. Thanks.

I'm black but as a single mom of 4 sons, I don't celebrate Kwanzaa. Look out for AA churches or rec centers that may have celebrations.

Kwanzaa is not based soley on Zulu culture. Swahili was chosen because it was considered a Pan-African language or widely used African language. Most cities, schools, local libraries have some type of event or acknowledgment of Kwanzaa. Contact a nearby university's Black (African) Studies dept. or student council - they usually sponsor events that the public can participate in. But the easiest thing to do is to begin it in in your own family - reading/exploring the seven principles - and putting your own family touch on it. There is a lot of info on Kwanzaa when you search the web, to help you begin.

Hi all, Thanks for the input and some info - here is a bit of what I've learned in my research: Some basics: It was created in 1966 during the civil rights movement to fill a cultural gap. Other ethnic groups have Hanukkah & Powpows etc., but Karenga saw that the African American community had no cultural celebration of their own. Kwanzaa was designed to speak to the best of what it means to be African. Kwanzaa is not religious and is compatible with and usually celebrated along with Christmas/Ramadan. It isn't either or, families can do both. Zulu Connections: The originals of Kwanzaa are on the African continent and is similar to agricultural celebrations called "first fruits," which focus around harvest time. Kwanzaa was modeled on the Zulu (South Africa), Swazi (Swaziland) and Yoruba (Nigeria) harvest festival traditions. The language of Kwanzaa is Swahili although Karenga says he was intending to use Zulu, but instead ended up choosing Swahili because it is the most widely spoken language on the African continent. The Zulu "first fruits" celebration is called "Umkhosi", Swazi called "Incwala" and Yoruba has 4 variations and names depending on the tribal region. The Zulu Umkhosi is 7-days and Kwanzaa is also 7-days. Karenga says the Zulu celebration "played an important part in the conceptualization of Kwanzaa as a seven-day holiday." In fact Kwanzaa is framed around the Zulu Umkhosi festival tradition, including the timing. Zulu Umkhosi is celebrated from the end of December to early January, and similarly Kwanzaa was designed to start December 26 and continue till January 1. Zulu Umkhosi became the "model of Kwanzaa" and shares its similar "values and practices" which include gathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment and celebration. In other places in the book Karenga talks about how Kwanzaa is "rooted" in and structured similarly to Umkhosi. The Zulu Umkhosi symbol of the corn stalk is also a key Kwanzaa symbol to thank the ancestors or the collective whole for the continuance of humans. Stressing humans roots, grounding and origins, which gives humans strength and meaning.