Kwanzaa Celebrates African-American Values

If I asked “What is Kwanzaa?” would you be able to tell me?

Would you think I was talking about blue trolls? Jungles? Old men in hats? A form of karate? These were some of the responses I received when I asked several teenagers that very same question. It wasn’t until I had posed the question about 15 times that I came across Jeremiah Johnson, a sophomore at Medical Lake.

He said, “Kwanzaa is an equivalent to Christmas to African-Americans to celebrate their heritage.”

Close. Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday that celebrates African-American values and helps us remember principles to live by. Kwanzaa begins on Dec. 26. Since it is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one, many families celebrate both.

Kwanzaa is organized around five fundamentals: the gathering of family, friends and community; reverence to the Creator and creation; commemoration of the past; recommitment to the cultural ideals of African community; and celebration of the “Good of Life.”

A central practice of Kwanzaa is the lighting of the mishumaa, or the seven candles of Kwanzaa. A candle is lit each day, symbolizing the principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

Kwanzaa is celebrated through rituals, narratives, poetry, singing, dancing, playing instruments and feasting. Each day, after lighting one of the candles, everyone reflects on that day’s principle and how they can apply it to their everyday lives.

So next year, when someone asks you, “What is Kwanzaa?” I hope you can answer with confidence.