I am ashamed to admit that I know very little about Kwanzaa except that it occurs around the same time as Christmas and is an African American holiday. I attend a church where a significant number of the members are people who have recently moved to the United States from Africa. It all started with an ad campaign for the church many years ago which featured a member from Liberia. Now, there are many members from various African countries. I love the women’s colorful dresses and headpieces. Color always seems to be a part of African celebrations. Let’s learn more about Kwanzaa.
According to Wikipedia, Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the sixth day. It was created by American professor Dr. Maulana Karenga, chair of the department of African studies at California State University, Long Beach and is based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of Africa, including West and Southeast Africa. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966.
American Dr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the Watts riots as a specifically African American holiday. Karenga said his goal was to "give blacks an alternative to the existing holiday of Christmas and give blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society." For Karenga — a major figure in the Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s — the creation of such holidays also underscored the essential premise that "you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose and direction."
According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits." First fruits festivals exist in Southern Africa, celebrated in December/January with the southern solstice, and Karenga was partly inspired by an account he read of the Zulu festival Umkhosi Wokweshwama, a celebration of the calabash — also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, New Guinea bean and Tasmania bean. It was decided to spell the holiday's name with an additional "a," so that it would have a symbolic seven letters.
During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas. He believed Jesus was psychotic and Christianity was a “white” religion that Black people should shun. As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, he altered his position so practicing Christians would not be alienated, stating in the 1997 book “Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture” that "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday." Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.
After its initial creation in California, Kwanzaa spread outside the United States.
Nguzo Saba – The Seven Principles
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa or Nguzo Saba, originally Nguzu Saba – the seven principles of African heritage. They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles comprise Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common."
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, as follows:
1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Symbols
Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat or mkeka on which other symbols are placed:
- A kinara or candleholder for seven candlesticks.
- Mishumaa Saba or seven candles.
- Mazao or crops.
- Mahindi or corn, to represent the children celebrating — and corn may be part of the holiday meal.
- A Kikombe cha Umoja or unity cup for commemorating and giving shukrani or thanks to African ancestors.
- Zawadi or gifts.
Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red and green bendera or flag and African books and artworks — all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community-building and reinforcement.
Observances
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art; colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women; and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared — generally with a common chalice Kikombe cha Umoja or unity cup — passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa. The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa."
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance and, finally, a feast of faith or Karamu Ya Imani. The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habaro Gami? which is Swahili for "How are you?"
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia or self-determination and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, some African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year.
Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry.
Adherence
The popularity of celebration of Kwanzaa has declined with the waning of the popularity of the black separatist movement. Kwanzaa observation has declined in both community and commercial contexts. According to University of Minnesota Professor Keith Mayes, the popularity within the U.S. has "leveled off" as the black power movement there has declined, and as of 2009 between 500 thousand and two million Americans celebrated Kwanzaa, or between one and five percent of African Americans. Mayes added that white institutions now celebrate it.
The National Retail Federation has sponsored a marketing survey on winter holidays since 2004, and in 2015 found that 1.9% of those polled planned to celebrate Kwanzaa — about six million people in the United States.
Starting in the 1990s, the holiday became increasingly commercialized, with the first Hallmark card being sold in 1992, and there has been concern about this damaging the holiday's values.
Academics
Stjepan Meštrović, a sociology professor at the Texas A&M University, sees Kwanzaa as an example of postmodernism. According to him, post-modernists in modern society may view "real" traditions as racist, sexist or otherwise oppressive, but since living in a world where nothing is true is too terrifying to most people, "nice" and "synthetic" traditions like Kwanzaa have been created to cope with the nihilistic, individualistic modern society.
I
n popular media
Maya Angelou narrated a documentary film about Kwanzaa, ”The Black Candle,” written and directed by M.K. Asante Jr. and featuring Chuck D.
In government
The first Kwanzaa stamp, designed by Synthia Saint James, was issued by the United States Post Office in 1997, and in the same year Bill Clinton gave the first presidential declaration marking the holiday. Subsequent presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donal Trump also issued greetings to celebrate Kwanzaa.
Children’s Kwanzaa books
According to the Dec. 4, 2016 article “Top 10 Children’s Books about Kwanzaa” at coloursofus.com, “My First Kwanzaa” by Karen Katz has her signature illustrations of round-faced toddlers. It introduces little ones to the seven days of Kwanzaa and shows them how the importance of family, friends, and community is celebrated in Black communities.
“On the first day of Kwanzaa, / my people gave to me.. / A promise for Unity.” In a creative spin of a popular Christmas song, “Seven Days of Kwanzaa” by Melrose Cooper celebrates each day of Kwanzaa, from the promise for unity to two drums-a-drumming, four spending dollars, five festive friends and more.
Out of all the featured children’s books about Kwanzaa, this is by far the sweetest! Li’l Rabbit is not having a very good Kwanzaa. Granna Rabbit is sick, and so his family won’t celebrate Karamu, his favorite part of Kwanzaa this year. Li’l Rabbit sets out to find a special treat for Granna Rabbit but he needs a little help from his family and friends. “Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa” by Donna L. Washington captures the true meaning of Kwanzaa: Coming together to help others.
Kwanzaa recipes
Corn is one of the basic foods grown in Africa and is therefore a central food in its culture and society. They regard the corn’s life cycle as a symbol of the human life cycle. The stalk or kinara represents the relationship between parents and children, and between their ancestors and their descendants.
Ingredients
· 6 slices of bacon
· ½ of a large red bell pepper
· 2 or 3 green onions scallions, chopped
· 16-ounce package of frozen sliced okra thawed
· 16-ounce package of frozen corn thawed
· 1 medium tomato chopped into small pieces
· ¼ teaspoon of black pepper or to your taste
Instructions
Fry the bacon in a large skillet until it’s crisp and drain it on a paper towel. Using the same skillet, sauté the red pepper with the green onion until they are tender; usually 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the thawed corn and okra and stir to mix.
Add the tomato and pepper (and salt if you want it) and stir again to blend. Cook about 5 minutes or until everything is heated. Crumble the bacon, sprinkle over the top and serve hot.
West African Chicken Peanut Stew
· Prep time: 20 minutes
· Cook time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
· Yield: Serves 6-8
Use chicken legs, thighs or wings for this recipe. They have more flavor and will hold up better with the flavors of the stew than breast meat.
INGREDIENTS
· 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
· 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
· 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
· A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
· 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
· 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
· 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
· 1 quart chicken stock
· 1 cup peanut butter
· 1 cup roasted peanuts
· 1 Tbsp ground coriander
· 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
· Salt and black pepper
· 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
1. Brown the chicken. Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2. Sauté the vegetables. Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3. Cook the stew. Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Add the chicken. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove bones and chop the cooked chicken. Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.
5. Adjust seasonings. Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.
According to Nicole Taylor’s Dec. 21, 2020 article “Five Kwanzaa Celebrations Around the Country” in the New York Times, Kwanzaa is more than an end-of-year display of deep orange and burnt burgundy Dutch wax-print fabrics, and righteous images of fruit bowls sitting near wooden cups. It’s an edifying lifestyle choice. The Times visited five households around the country to see their Kwanzaa food traditions and explore how their families celebrate.
In Portland, Ore., Rashad Frazier and Keita Orr Frazier, their daughter, Zora, and their son, Ellis, celebrate Christmas and will add Kwanzaa to their December traditions. Mr. Frazier is a personal chef and founder of Camp Yoshi, a company that focuses on outdoor adventures for Black people and people of color. Ms. Frazier plans to introduce her children to the Nguzo Saba (seven Kwanzaa principles) nightly through arts-and-crafts projects. Beverly Cureton Graham, Mr. Frazier’s aunt, died in February, and their celebration is in her memory.
The family’s Kwanzaa meal, clockwise from top left: grilled coffee-rubbed branzino, yam hash with collard greens, mac and cheese, roasted beet salad and wild fried rice with ginger.
Folami Prescott-Adams’s countertop karamu spread has evolved since guests brought chips and salsa to her first celebration in Atlanta in the early 1990s. “We needed food and not snacks,” said Dr. Prescott-Adams, a community psychologist. Now, with more than three decades of experience with Kwanzaa feast hosting, she kicks off the planning with an email to 30 families, where potluck dishes are confirmed. Last year, more than 100 people gathered inside her southwest Atlanta home.
Her contribution is always the same: “I cook 10 pounds of barbecue tofu,” said the 60-year-old mother of four, the tofu painstakingly dried, sauced up and crisped. A serving line forms in the early hours of the shindig; marinated wings, nut “meatballs,” macaroni and cheese and vegan Southern-style string beans perching in uniformed platters fill her kitchen.
The dining room is headquarters for Kwanzaa bingo and the zawadi, or prizes. “I buy gifts all year at thrift stores and yard sales.” This year’s guests will commemorate the holiday at a virtual candle-lighting party.
Dr. Prescott-Adams is no-holds-barred with Kwanzaa vignettes around her home, though she understands the longstanding commentary about anti-commercialization around the holiday. “I’ve created something for my husband, kids and grandkids that feels warm and safe.”
“Everything has shifted,” said Maati Kheprimeni Angaza, 21, a senior at Temple University who is finishing up her final year online in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. For Ms. Angaza, Kwanzaa is constant — it’s all she celebrates in December.
It’s a time when the dance major can teach her young cousins basic West African moves and choreograph routines for herself. “My personal Kwanzaa celebration includes taking a moment to take in all the blessings,” she said.
She winds downs the year by buying products from Black-owned beauty brands, spending time with her boyfriend and prepping for the karamu.
“When it comes to the feast, do what feels authentic to you,” said Angaza, a lifelong vegan. Curry potatoes, black-eyed peas and luscious desserts are traditions in her culinary muscle memory. “My stepmother makes an amazing bread pudding, with sweet potato and raisins; it’s a little dense and reminds me of a currant roll.”
Kwanzaa has also become a time for creativity in the kitchen as she’s gotten older, she said: “During quarantine, I got good at making vegan doughnuts” — cinnamon sugar, chocolate walnut, chocolate peanut butter drizzle.
“I plan to have a bunch of those on the spread this year,” she said. “Maybe red, black, green glazed?” She is honoring her roots and having fun: “Kwanzaa food should be a piece of us.”
In the early 1980s, Janine Bell attended her first Kwanzaa community event, hosted by Branches of the Art, a now-defunct multidisciplinary arts organization. She remembers casserole dishes with sweet potatoes and corn pudding. “Not African cuisine, but food that lived on our grandparents’ table — food from the American South,” said Ms. Bell, who is a pescatarian.
Growing up in Greensboro, N.C., she was oblivious to Kwanzaa. Since 1990, she has been producing the Capital City Kwanzaa Festival; this year it will be a seven-night virtual event.
At home, Bell hosts an intimate Kwanzaa affair for her immediate clan. “My daughter makes sure we have the fruits and kikombe and makes sure that we have everything in the dining room,” she said.
It’s her favorite space — olive-painted walls surrounded by her late grandparents’ furniture, crystal servingware, lace coverings, a gilded mirror and silver candelabras. African masks and a painting titled “Autumn Leaves” sit among the mmeka, kinara and Kwanzaa decorations made by her granddaughter. The room carries the energy of five generations in one place.
A 1935 family photo shows people posing around the same furnishings and eating fruit from glass salad plates stored in the sideboard — a legacy unbroken.
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