Kwanzaa
December 26-January 1
A new holiday
From December 26 to January 1, many blacks in the United States
celebrate a special time called Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is their very own
holiday—a way of honoring the customs of Africa, where their ancestors
came from.
Kwanzaa is a new American holiday. But it is based on some very old
African holidays. The word kwanza means \”first” in the Swahili
language of Africa. It was picked as the name for the new holiday
because many African tribes celebrated the first harvest of their crops
each year.
On the last night of Kwanzaa, all seven of the candles in the kinara,
or candleholder, are lighted.
The spelling was changed from kwanza to Kwanzaa for two reasons. With
the new spelling, there are seven letters—one for each day of the
celebration. Also, it shows that this new holiday is not the same as the
old African one.
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their homes with straw mats, ears
of corn, and a candleholder called a kinara. The straw mats stand for
tradition. The ears of corn stand for the children. And the kinara
stands for the family’s African ancestors. The kinara holds seven
candles, one for each day of Kwanzaa. Each day has special meaning, and
a new candle is lit each day.
Each evening during Kwanzaa, the family lights the candle for that day.
The children and their parents talk about the special meaning of that
day. They may also exchange gifts. But the gifts can’t be things that
have been bought. They must be homemade—such as clothes made by the
mother, toys made by the father, beads and bracelets made by the
children.
Often, many families meet in a home or community center to celebrate
each day of Kwanzaa together. On the last day, there is a feast, called
a karamu, with music and dancing.
Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by an African- American professor and black
cultural leader named M. Ron Karenga. In communities where many black
Americans live, it has become a very important holiday.
