By Jaquayla Young
African music, fruits, candles, lights, African drums, and feasts. These are all things related to the holiday of Kwanzaa. There are many different holidays but this one in particular tends to go unnoticed. The holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University in 1966 after riots in Los Angeles. He searched for ways to bring African Americans together as a community. He researched African celebrations and used celebrations from the Zulu and Ashanti to form the basis of Kwanzaa. The name originated from the phrase “matunda ya Kwanza” which means first fruits in Swahili. Kwanzaa is celebrated with candles and for 7 nights the family gathers together to light a candle on the kinara (candle holder). After this they discuss one of the 7 principles. The principles are values of the African culture which contribute to building and establishing community amongst African Americans. As we get farther away from the beginning of the holiday fewer people celebrate it. An estimated 41% of people born between 1946 and 1964 celebrate Kwanzaa. Those born in or after 1945 and in or after 1982 are least likely to celebrate the holiday. Kwanzaa is a historic holiday that is used to make people and more specifically African Americans more aware. As more crime and problems exist amongst African Americans this holiday should be used to help reunite us, and most of all bring about unity and happiness. The holiday Kwanzaa should receive more recognition especially in the time that we live in. Let's help bring it back to life.
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