KWANZAA
KWANZAA
[Kiswahili ~ First Fruits Of The Harvest]
26 December ~ 1 January
Kwanzaa, in its present form, was founded by Dr
Maulana Karenga in 1966 in America.
It is based on
the traditional First Fruits celebration that takes place throughout Africa at
different times especially at the end of harvest. It is an African Family occasion where we
come together to Remember, Reassess, Reward, Recommit, Rejoice and Celebrate
our successes and reaffirm our practice of NGUZO
SABA [Seven Principles].
It is very important to know that Kwanzaa is not a 'Black Christmas' or a 'Religion' but it is a way of life. The seven principles of Kwanzaa that one needs to observe are:~
Umoja [Unity] 26th December
To strive for and maintain unity
in the family, community, nation and race.
Kujichagulia [Self-Determination] 27th December
To define ourselves, name
ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
Ujima [Collective Work and
Responsibility] 28th December
To build and maintain our
community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems
and to solve them together.
Ujamaa [Cooperative Economics] 29th December
To build and maintain our own
stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia [Purpose] 30th December
To make our collective vocation
the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to
their traditional greatness.
Kuumba [Creativity] 31st December
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.
Imani [Faith] 1st January
To believe with all our heart
in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and
victory of our struggle.
There are a few informative Kwanzaa DVDs for family viewing:~
- The Black Candle
- Seven Candles For Kwanzaa
- The Proud Family ~ Story Of Kwanzaa
You may view the Official KwanzaaWebsite for more details about how to prepare for and how to celebrate Kwanzaa
http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml
Kwanzaa Celebration Items To Purchase
We have a varied selection of items to help you decorate your home or community event for the Kwanzaa season. Please open the link for more details.
Kwanzaa In The United Kingdom
The earliest Kwanzaa
celebration in the UK was in 1972 organised by the African Caribbean Self-Help Org in Handsworth,
Birmingham. The
African Caribbean Self-Help Organisation was one of the founder organisations
of the Pan African Congress Committee In 1974 and in 1977 changed their name to Pan African Congress Movement.
Since then there are over 16 different organisations that
regularly celebrate Kwanzaa in
England
In March
2014, 14 organisations across England
came together to organise
Kwanzaa Network UK
The purpose of this is to Unify, Structure & Promote Kwanzaa in the UK. This led us into the Joint
50th Kwanzaa celebration on 26 December 2016.
Where You There?
Kwanzaa Network UK is still going. This year individual organisations across England will be putting on Kwanzaa celebrations in their area as before.
Enjoy Your Kwanzaa Season & Stay Blessed!!!
