Holiday I Do Not Celebrate

My holiday that I chose to learn more about is Kwanzaa. I do not celebrate Kwanzaa because it is a holiday that is celebrated by the people of the African-American race. The festival of Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and ends on the first of January. A guy named Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga created the holiday in the year 1966. Dr. Karenga created this holiday for African-Americans to stress the goals of having a strong family and to learn about the African-American history. Dr. Karenga studied some other African-American festivals and found that a good number of them revolved around harvest. So Dr. Karenga decided he would use the word “Kwanzaa”, which comes from the Kiswahili word meaning “fresh fruits”. He used seven principles of the African-American culture and used them in creating Kwanzaa. These principles include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

            At the beginning of the celebration there is a straw hat that is placed in the middle of the table. They then place a seven-candle holder on top of the straw hat. I asked myself how they would balance a candleholder with seven candles on it but couldn’t come up with an answer. They then place the seven candles in the holder, including three red ones on one side, three green ones on the other side, and one black one in the center. They also place ears of corn and a unity cup on the hat as well. The black candle represents the people of the African-American race, the red ones represent their struggles and the green candles represent their future. Since there are seven days during Kwanzaa and there are seven principles and also seven candles, one candle is lit each day and focused on one principle a day. During the candle lighting ceremonies, each participant discusses what that principle means to them. They also exchange gifts during these ceremonies and on December 31 there is a feast that includes honoring ancestors, music, and dancing.

            I chose to learn more about this holiday because I figured it was a holiday that African-American people in the United States celebrate and thought I should learn more about it.