Added: 01/31/2006 |
Kwanzaa 2005, Observance Gains PopularityKwanzaa, a seven-day celebration of African-American culture in the United States, has been celebrated from December 26 to January 1 since 1966. Some five million African Americans, perhaps two to three percent of the African Americans in the United States currently observe Kwanzaa and the holiday continues to grow in popularity.
On each of the seven days a different value is emphasized and celebrants are encouraged to find Kwanzaa principles in their hearts and to inculcate them into their daily lives. The first of these values is umoja or unity and all the other principles in the observance are based on the ability to find Kwanzaa-inspired unity in all aspects of the African-American life.
On the second day of the observance the emphasis is on self-determination, then the value of collective work and responsibility on day three, followed by a call for cooperative economics on day four. Day five extols the virtues of purpose, day six creativity, and finally on day seven, faith.
In his presidential message for Kwanzaa 2005, President George W. Bush said the values expressed during Kwanzaa "contribute to a culture of citizenship and compassion" and wished that all Kwanzaa 2005 celebrants might "thrive during this holiday season and throughout the coming year."
The fact the president issued a message for Kwanzaa 2005 shows that the observance has risen above the objections of some critics who have said it is a "made up" holiday, the brainchild of black nationalist Dr. Ron Karenga, and does not reflect the wide variety of cultures present on the African continent.
Those who defend the observance of Kwanzaa 2005 and all the celebrations that came before it say that Kwanzaa is not meant to be inclusively representative of all things African but of the African-American experience as it translated to this country. They also emphasize that Kwanzaa is a cultural not a religious holiday and as such does not conflict with or denigrate the Christianity that has always been a core part of African American culture in this country.
By Kwanzaa 2005 it was common for African American families who observe the holiday to put their traditional African decorations and the kinaras or candleholders designed to symbolize their African roots out beside the Christmas tree. Increasingly it would seem that African American families make a place for both Kwanzaa and the Christian observance of Christmas in their lives with no thought to a conflict. As their children are raised in this tradition and grow to form families of their own no doubt the numbers of those observing Kwanzaa will grow.
As a cultural holiday designed to emphasize the African heritage of African Americans, Kwanzaa is a celebration of values important to this community either by tradition or as goals to which they hope their young people will aspire. Although criticized in the past as a made-up or created holiday, Kwanzaa has continued to grow in popularity and influence and now coexists with the other traditional observances of Christmas and New Years.
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