The colors also represent African gods. Red is the color of Shango, the Yoruba god of fire, thunder, and lightning, who lives in the clouds and sends down his thunderbolt whenever he is angry or offended. It also represents the struggle for self-determination and freedom by people of color. Black is the people, the earth, the source of life, representing hope, creativity, and faith and denoting messages and the opening and closing of doors.
Green represents the earth that sustains our lives and provides hope, divination, employment, and the fruits of the harvest. Kinara: The Candleholder The kinara is the center of the Kwanzaa setting and represents the original stalk from which we came: our ancestry.
The kinara can be shape — straight lines, semicircles, or spirals — as long as the seven candles are separate and distinct, like a candelabra. Kinaras are made from all kinds of materials, and many celebrants create their own from fallen branches, wood, or other natural materials.
The kinara symbolizes the ancestors, who were once earth bound; understand the problems of human life; and are willing to protect their progeny from danger, evil, and mistakes.
In African festivals the ancestors are remembered and honored. The mishumaa saba are placed in the kinara. Kikombe Cha Umoja: The Unity Cup The kikombe cha umoja is a special cup that is used to perform the libation tambiko ritual during the Karamu feast on the sixth day of Kwanzaa.
In many African societies libation are poured for the living dead whose souls stay with the earth they tilled. The Ibo of Nigeria believe that to drink the last portion of a libation is to invite the wrath of the spirits and the ancestors; consequently, the last part of the libation belongs to the ancestors. During the Karamu feast, the kikombe cha umoja is passed to family member and guests, who drink from it to promote unity.
Then, the eldest person present pours the libation tambiko , usually water, juice, or wine, in the direction of the four winds — north, south, east, and west — to honor the ancestors. The eldest asks the gods and ancestors to share in the festivities and, in return, to bless all the people who are not at the gathering. Several families may have a cup that is specifically for the ancestors, and everyone else has his or her own.
The last few ounces of the libation are poured into the cup of the host or hostess, who sips it and then hands it to the oldest person in the group, who asks for the blessing. Zawadi: Gifts When we celebrate Imani on the seventh day of Kwanzaa, we give meaningful zawadi gifts to encourage growth, self-determination, achievement, and success. We exchange the gifts with members of our immediate family, especially the children, to promote or reward accomplishments and commitments kept, as well as with our guests.
Handmade gifts are encouraged to promote self-determination, purpose, and creativity and to avoid the chaos of shopping and conspicuous consumption during the December holiday season. A family may spend the year making kinaras or may create cards, dolls, or mkekas to give to their guests.
Accepting a gift implies a moral obligation to fulfill the promise of the gift; it obliges the recipient to follow the training of the host. The gift cements social relationships, allowing the receiver to share the duties and the rights of a family member. Accepting a gift makes the receiver part of the family and promotes Umoja. Copyright by Dorothy Winbush Riley. As the candles were lit each evening, we students were reminded to care for the collective.
Celebrating Kwanzaa with my classmates assured me that I belonged. It was an annual reminder that BlackLivesMatter before the hashtag emerged. It felt pristine, until it suddenly was sullied for me. Two years ago, more than a decade after college, I was commissioned to write about the history of Kwanzaa. Though he denied the allegations, in he and three other members of the US Organization, a black nationalist group based in Los Angeles, imprisoned and assaulted two female members.
Trial testimony revealed that the women had been whipped with cords, beaten with batons, and seared with irons — while naked — in an effort to elicit confessions that they were conspiring against him.
Those confessions never materialized. Karenga served a few years in prison and later went on to get his doctorate and teach.
My stomach lurched as I read about the trial and his conviction. Karenga was found guilty of violence against black women. What did it mean about the celebration I had embraced? InterExchange is proud to have an experienced team that is dedicated to international cultural exchange. We come from a variety of backgrounds, but nearly every member of our New York City-based staff has extensive experience traveling, working, or living abroad.
Career Training USA is a cultural exchange program that enables current university students and young professionals from all over the world to pursue internships in the U. Read about the adventures others have had and get excited for yours. The History, Principles, and Symbols of Kwanzaa. A woman celebrates Kwanzaa by lighting candles on a kinara.
InterExchange Staff InterExchange is proud to have an experienced team that is dedicated to international cultural exchange. Tweet Share Email.
Diversity Holidays Culture. Intern or Train in the U. Experience American culture and add international skills to your resume. Learn about life abroad Read about the adventures others have had and get excited for yours. Three Ways for U. The more preposterous the group, the better. Although some of their most high-profile leaders were drug dealers and murderers, they did not seek armed revolution.
I will not be shooting any Black Panthers next week because I am Kwanzaa-reform, and we are not that observant. In a interview with Ethnic NewsWatch, Karenga matter-of-factly explained that the forces out to get O.
Karenga should know about FBI infiltration.
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