![]() ![]() Celebrants begin by decorating a table with a straw mat that symbolizes the traditions at the heart of the holiday’s foundation. Each day is steeped in symbolism and ceremony. How Kwanzaa is celebratedĬelebrations begin the day after Christmas and last for seven days. In particular, he believed that the annual harvest festivals-in which communities came together to celebrate the fruits of their collective labor-were an apt model for building family, community, and culture. To establish the traditions of the new holiday, Karenga drew upon a pan-African set of cultural symbols and practices. “Since Christmas dominated the calendar at year’s end, engulfing black America in its crass consumerism and its images of a white Christ, Karenga believed Christmas stood in the way of black cultural advancement,” writes historian Keith Mayes, author of the book Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition. Kwanzaa was also envisioned as a secular alternative to the holiday juggernaut that is Christmas. ![]() ( In this museum, Black America’s story is told like never before.) From the beginning, the plan was to create a holiday for African Americans to honor their African roots and reaffirm their cultural connections. In the weeks after the Watts rebellion, Maulanga Karenga-an activist and leader in the Black Power Movement- founded the Us Organization to rebuild the neighborhood and promote a Black cultural revolution that would inspire pride in Black history and achievements, long dismissed and suppressed by the dominant white culture. The unrest lasted a week and left 34 people dead and 1,000 injured. Frustrated by years of abuse at the hands of police and crushed by poverty, the community protested and rioted. Kwanzaa was founded in 1966, a year after a historic rebellion rocked the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Here’s how Kwanzaa came to be, how it’s celebrated, and how it is evolving today. Though Kwanzaa became a mainstream holiday in the 1980s, its traditions have faded in recent years. ![]() During the week, families gather to give gifts, share feasts, and light candles in honor of their ancestors and their hopes for the future. It’s a time that’s been celebrated throughout the continent for generations. Kwanzaa-which is derived from the word “first” in Swahili-takes inspiration from the start of the harvest season in Africa, when the first crops are gathered. This secular holiday takes place every year from December 26 to January 1 and is observed by millions of people in the United States and around the world. Born in a time of racial unrest, Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration of African-American culture and heritage. ![]()
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