Kwanzaa, Should Christians Celebrate It

“KWANZAA”…Should Christians celebrate Kwanzaa?  

SAINTS, Kwanzaa is not a cult nor should it be recognized as a non-religion activity. It should be looked at as a celebration of thanksgiving and appreciation of life given to honor all the things we value, respect and treasure that our ancestors have struggled and strived to build a better life here in America. It shouldn’t be a one day celebration; it should be distinguished as an acclaimed seven day festival.  It’s not a replacement for Christmas, it’s honored as a seven day acknowledgement of gratitude and praise for our cultural identity. 

This honorable celebration and festival has shown support thru-out the homes, churches, and communities benefit on dignity and faith of ancestors, parents, faithful church members, etc., to be recognized as pioneers, pathfinders, and adventurers of this land called “America…Land of the Free”.

On Dec. 26 thru January 1, African-Americans and other ethnic colors throughout the world will start a week-long celebration of “Kwanzaa”. A seven day ceremony with food, decorations and prayers giving thanks to our Father for the survival of our ancestors and  honoring the blessings that brought us through the struggles of life. Some Kwanzaa ceremonies include African drumming and dancing, and talks about our ancestors and how we survived here in America. Kwanzaa is not just a ”Black holiday” it is a recognition that acknowledges Black History in the homes, churches and in the community as well.

Each day of Kwanzaa is devoted to celebrating the seven basic values of African culture or the “Nguzo Saba” which in Swahili means the seven principles: (1) Unity, (2) Self-determination, (3) Collective work and Responsibility, (4) Cooperative Economics (building Black businesses), (5) Purpose, (6) Creativity and (7) Faith. 

A Kinara (candleholder) is lit on each day to celebrate each one of these principles. There are seven candles that consist of (3) Red’s, (3) Green’s, and on the last day (1) Black candle is lit and gifts are shared giving thanks to our Father who has provided us with grace and favor here on Earth.

KWANZAA HISTORY:

Kwanzaa is a holiday created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of African Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Kwanzaa is celebrated (seven days) from December 26 to January 1. Karenga’s original concept was to provide African-Americans with a time to focus on the cultural heritage and values of Africa and to provide an alternative to Christmas. Karenga drew from a number of different African harvest festivals, Black Nationalist ideology, and other cultural influences to create the seven “Nguzo Saba,” or principles of African heritage. Each of these principles is represented by a physical symbol, one for each day of Kwanzaa.

Dr. Maulana Karenga introduced the festival in 1966 to the United States as a ritual to welcome the first harvests to the home. Dr. Karenga created this festival for Afro-Americans as a response to the commercialism of Christmas. In fact one might say that Kwanzaa has similarities with Thanksgiving in the United States or the Yam Festival in Ghana and Nigeria. The word “kwanzaa” is a Swahili (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) word meaning “first.”

Once the holiday began gaining traction among a wider African-American audience, Karenga altered his official stance that Kwanzaa was to be seen as a replacement for Christmas and invited black Americans of all faiths to participate in addition to their various wintertime religious holidays. Karenga notes the difference between “spirituality” and “organized religion” as the difference between Kwanzaa and holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah. 

Five common sets of values are central to the activities of the week: in gathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment, and celebration. The seven principles (nguzo saba) of Kwanzaa utilize Kiswahili words: unity (umoja), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba), and faith (imani). Each of the seven candles signify the principles. Like the Jewish Hannakah, candles are used to represent concepts of their holiday.

The symbols of Kwanzaa include crops (mzao) which represents the historical roots of African-Americans in agriculture and also the reward for collective labor. The mat (mkeka) lays the foundation for self- actualization. The candle holder (kinara) reminds believers of their ancestral origins in one of 55 African countries. Corn/maize (muhindi) signifies children and the hope associated with the younger generation. Gifts (Zawadi) represent commitments of the parents for the children. The unity cup (Kkimbe cha Umoja) is used to pour libations to the ancestors. Finally, the seven candles (mishumaa saba) remind participants of the several principles and the colors in flags of African liberation movements — 3 red, 1 black, and 3 green.

Gifts are exchanged on 31st December thru January 1st, and  participants celebrate with a banquet of food, often cuisine from various African countries or African-American foods. Participants greet one another with “Habari gani” which is Kiswahili for “how are you/ how’s the news with you?” Biblically speaking, The Word and prayer is always spoken at the beginning of each day to give thanks to our Father, for all the great historical movements from slavery to now. We give thanks. Amen. 

This spirit of activism and pride in the African heritage is evident on college campus Kwanzaa celebrations – one of which I recently attended. (It was done a few days early so that students going on break could participate.)

The speaker, a veteran of the Nashville civil rights movement, spoke about Kwanzaa as a time of memory and celebration. Wearing an African dashiki, he led those in attendance – blacks and whites and those of other ethnicities – in Kwanzaa songs and recitations. On a table decorated in kente cloth, a traditional African fabric, was a kinara, which contains seven holes, to correspond to the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. There were three red candles on the left side of the kinara, and three green candles on the right side of the kinara. The center candle was black. The colors of the candles represent the red, black and green of the African Liberation flag.

The auditorium was packed. Those in attendance, young and old, black and white, held hands and chanted slogans celebrating black heroes and heroines, as diverse as the civil rights icons, Rosa Parks and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Jamaican musician Bob Marley.

It was a cultural observance that acknowledged solidarity with the struggles of the past and with one another. Like the black power movements, such as today’s Black Lives Matter movement, it is an affirmation of “Black folks’ humanity,” their “contributions to this society” and “resilience in the face of deadly oppression.”

Karenga wanted to “reaffirm the bonds between us” (Black people) and to counter the damage done by the “holocaust of slavery.”  Kwanzaa celebrations are a moment of this awareness and reflection.