Kwanzaa -

Kwanzaa -

"Maulana Karenga of the

US Organization

created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first specifically African American

holiday.[2] Karenga said his goal

was to 'give Blacks an alternative

to the existing holiday and

give Blacks an

opportunity to celebrate themselves

and history, rather than simply imitate the

practice of the dominant society.'

[3] The name Kwanzaa derives from

the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning

first fruits of the harvest

.[4] The choice of Swahili, an East African language, reflects its status as a symbol

of Pan-Africanism, especially in

the 1960s. Kwanzaa is a celebration

that has its roots in the black nationalist

movement of the 1960s, and was established

as a means to help African Americans

reconnect with their African cultural

and historical heritage

by uniting in meditation

and study of African traditions and

Nguzu Saba, the 'seven principles

of blackness'

which Karenga said 'is a communitarian African philosophy'.

During the early years of

Kwanzaa, Karenga

said that it was meant to be an

alternative to Christmas,

that Jesus was psychotic, and that Christianity was a white religion that

black people should shun.

[5] However, as Kwanzaa

gained mainstream adherents,

Karenga altered his position so that

practicing Christians would

not be alienated, then stating

in the 1997 Kwanzaa:

A Celebration of Family, Community,

and Culture,

Kwanzaa was not created

to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday.

'[6] Many Christian African

Americans who celebrate

Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing

Christmas.[7] In 2009, Maya Angelou

narrated the award-winning

documentary The Black Candle,

the first filmabout Kwanzaa. Principles

and symbols"