BrainStuff Classics: How Does Kwanzaa Work?

the Solstice, Hanka, and the Gregorian New Year. These holidays are joyful celebrations in which families and friends come together to share food and gifts. Quanza is another such holiday, running from December twenty six through January one, during which some people of African descent gather with loved ones to reaffirm the bonds of family and culture as well as share food and exchange gifts. And It's a relatively new holiday, though its roots trace back to ancient African harvest celebrations.

The name Quanza comes from the Swahili phrase mattunda yakwanza, which means first fruits. Many of the first fruit celebrations around parts of Africa were also seven days long. Aquanza is a Pan African holiday, meaning that it's meant to unite people of African descent wherever they live throughout the continent and around the world. Unlike Christmas and Hanukah, which are technically religious holidays, though are sometimes celebrated secularly, the

Quanza is a cultural holiday. Many people who celebrate it also celebrate Christmas or other December holidays. Over it's seven days, celebrants honor family, community, culture, and the bonds that tie them together as a people. They also remember their heritage, give thanks for the good things that they have, and rejoice in the goodness of life. The number seven is an important theme of Quanza. The seven days each represent

one of the holiday is seven guiding principles. There are seven basic symbols used in the Quanza ceremony, one of which consists of seven candles, and each symbol ties into one or more of those guiding principles. Quanza was introduced in nineteen sixty six by Dr. Mal Lana Karenga, a professor in and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University and a former civil rights activist.

He conceived a Quanza during this time when the Civil Rights Act of nineteen sixty four was still new and the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were still years off. In this time of great struggle for Black Americans to gain equal rights, let alone see those rights respected, Dr Karengo wanted Kwanza to be a means to help them connect with African values and traditions and to serve as a bond to unify Black Americans as a community and as

a people. He chose the dates December twenty six through January one to coincide with the Judeo Christian holiday season, which is already a time of celebration, and he chose a name that comes from the Swahili language, because Swahili spoken by many different African peoples. There is a story about how the Swahili word spelled k w a n z a gained an extra a at the end to designate the holiday. The story goes that during one of

the first Quansa celebrations, there was a children's pageant. Each of six children held up one of the letters of the word Quanza, but a seventh child, with no letter to hold, was left in tears. Someone at the event gave the child an extra a and the holiday was thus renamed k w A n z A A. Dr Karenga developed the seven principles of Quanza based on the ideals of those first fruit harvests. They might be summarized as unity, joining together as a family, community and race.

Self determination that is responsibility for one's own future, a collective work and responsibility or building the community together and solving any problems as a group. Cooperative economics meaning that the community builds and profits from its own businesses. Purpose or the goal of working together to build community and further the African culture. Creativity that is, using new ideas

to create a more beautiful and successful community. And faith meaning honoring African ancestors, traditions, and leaders, and celebrating past triumphs over adversity. Each day of Quanza focuses on one of the seven principles. Participants may tell a story or sing a song related to that principle, or the group may discuss them together or both. The seven principles are

also illustrated during the festivities by the seven symbols. First, there's the mat, which is usually made of straw, but can also be made of fabric or paper upon which all of the other Quansa symbols are placed. The mat represents the foundation of African traditions and history. Then there's the crops or fruits and vegetables, which represent traditional harvest celebrations and show respect for the people who labored to grow them. There's also the corn, which represents children and

the promise of their future. One ear of corn is set out for each child in the family. In a family without children, and ears set out symbolically to represent the children of the community. Next, there's the candle holder, which represents the original stock from which all African ancestors came. It holds the seven candles, each of which represents one

of the seven principles. They're lit starting with just the center candle on the first day, usually by the youngest child present, with one additional candle lit each day, culminating in all seven being lit together on the final day. And then there's the Unity cup, which symbolizes the first principle of Quanza, the unity of family and of the African people. The cup is used to pour the libation water, juice,

or wine for family and friends. And then there are the gifts, which represent the labors of the parents and the rewards of their children. Gifts are given to educate and enrich. They may include a book, a piece of art, or an educational toy. At least one of the gifts is usually a symbol of heritage. They may be given out one per day or all exchanged on the last day of celebration, the Quansa feast is held on the evening of December thirty one. The feast isn't just about food.

It's also a time to sing, pray, play music, perform speeches or poetry, dance, and otherwise celebrate Black and African histories and cultures. January one, the final day of Quanza, is a time for reflection, both individually and as a group. Participants may ask themselves who am I am I really? Who I say I am? And am I all I ought to be? The final candle is lit, and then all the candles are extinguished, signaling the end of the holiday.

Those candles are in red, green, and black. The colors were put forth by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born activist, publisher, journalist, and black nationalist who worked during the first few decades of the twentieth century. He designed the pan African flag with these colors, Black stands for the African people, red represents their struggle or blood, and green is a symbol of their future. Kwanza decorations and outfits are often made in the holidays symbolic colors, so of course this is

all just a summary. As with every holiday, there are as many celebrations of Kwanza as there are celebrants. If you are celebrating right now, we hope that you're having a bright one. Today's episode is based on the article how Kwanza Works on how staff works dot com, written by Stephanie Watson. Brain Stuff It's production of Our Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's

produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my Heart Radio, visit the Heart Radio, up Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. H