What is Kwanzaa? Kwanzaa is a nonreligious cultural holiday that celebrates African American Heritage. It is observed from December 26th through January 1st (Pogue, 2017). It was created by Maulana Karenga in the late 1960’s. Karenga is a black activist leader and professor. He has been making strides to better the black community and bridge the gap. He created Kwanzaa during the civil rights movement right after the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. He got tired of seeing all the horrible things happen to black people during this time, so he created Kwanzaa to shed a positive light on the black community. The goal of this holiday was to bring the African American community together. He wanted the African and African American community to have something …show more content…
for themselves and feel appreciated. Kwanza is a way for African Americans to uplift and celebrate each other around the holiday time (Rucker, 2017). Although many think the creation of Kwanzaa was positive, some think that it was created for racial divide. Karenga received backlash from individuals who thought it was a bad idea, but he decided not to listen to the negative comments (Flores-Pena, Evanchuk, 1997). The name Kwanzaa originates from the phrase 'matunda ya kwanza' which means 'first fruits' in the Swahili language. When Kwanzaa was first created, it was said to be a “black Christmas.” He wanted his people to celebrate Kwanzaa instead of Christmas, but that was not realistic since Christmas is an American Holiday. Later, Maulana Karenga said that Kwanzaa was a celebration of Culture, Family, and community (Smith, 2017). During Kwanzaa, families decorate their households with African art.
Women wear kaftans, which are long loose dresses usually wore in Africa. Every family member participates. Children are especially important because it gives them a time to pay respect to their elders. Having children participate in these celebrations helps keep the holiday going for future generations. Kwanzaa has seven key principles, that are celebrated daily called Nguzo Saba. Nguzo Saba is based from Kawaida, which is an African Philosophy created by African People that focuses on African worldviews. The seven principles help aid and uplift individuals. The seven principals serve as a roadmap for individuals to become better people. The principles allow for people to reflect on their life from the previous year. Each day is dedicated to one of the principles, and a candle is lit. The first day is called Umoja, which means unity. Families pledge to maintain unity in their daily lives. Day two is Kujichagulia meaning self-determination. Ujima is the third day and it means Collective Work and Responsibility. The goal of this day is to maintain togetherness in the community. The fourth day is Ujamaa; cooperative economics. They strive to support business in their community. On the fifth day, Nia is celebrated, and this means purpose. The importance of this principle is to help restore the people and business in the community and help them reach their fullest potential. Day six is called Kuumba meaning
creativity, they vow to help improve the community, and make it better for the next generations. The last day is called Imani which means faith. This is the last day because they must believe in themselves and each other to make things happen (Pogue, 2017). There are seven major symbols during Kwanzaa. The first is Mkeka. It is a traditional hand-woven mat. The mkeka is important because it serves as the foundation for the other symbols of Kwanzaa. The candle holder which is called the kinara serves as a symbol for showing African and African American roots. The Muhindi is the next symbol, it symbolizes children and their future, usually, corn is placed on the altar. Mazao is symbolic for crops, they use this to show collective labor during day four. Mishumaa Saba which is the seven candles. Each candle is symbolic for one of the seven days during Kwanzaa. Kikombe cha Umoja, the unity cup. During Umoja, each family member takes a drink from the cup to symbolize unity. The last symbol is Zawadi, these are the gifts. On the last day of Kwanzaa, gifts are given to
Hanukkah is a religious holiday celebrated by the Jewish, it involves the burning of eight candles, one each day. Some people say that Hanukkah is basically a Jewish Christmas, but its not, no holiday is celebrated is the same way as Hanukkah. Also, what holiday has more than three names, Hanukkah does. Its names are Hanukkah, Chanukah, Festival of Lights, the Feast of Dedication, and the Feast of the Maccabees.
Kwanzaa is not a religious, political or heroic celebration rather a cultural one. It begins the day after Christmas and runs until January 1st. At the time of it's inception, Blacks were beginning to question the American culture around them and how they were reflected in it. One of the most glaring and incongruous reflections was in the Christmas holiday season. The mass commercialism of the season placed a hardship on poorer Americans, of which Blacks were a high percentage. Also all the trappings of the Christmas season reflected the dominant society, i.e. no Black Barbie dolls, few black or ...
Christmas was originally supposed to be a celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ. Modern historians suggest that Christ was actually born sometime in April, but that is hardly the point; the point is that a day on which to celebrate his birth and life was needed, and so one was chosen. During the season surrounding this holiday -- especially since it coincided with that of other, similar holidays -- it was thought right to honor Jesus by acting as he did, i.e., in a kind, generous, and forgiving manner. Out of this sprung the custom of giving gifts to loved ones on this holiday.
Karenga goes on to talk about the seven principles of the Nguzo Saba, and before I go into what each one is, I wanted to name each of the seven principle. Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Unity is the first seven principle because it’s the most important. Without unity there would be no togetherness that would bring people together to help each other through the struggles of life. Karenga goes on to talk about the Egyptian and Dinka tribe, they believed that you cannot live a moral or good life without living harmonious with the people in the community. He talks about how even unity in the household between mother and father is important and detrimental to a child’s growth and being the role models that a child needs. Karenga believes that African Americans need to forget about their organizations and try to unite as one instead of separating themselves from the group. Self-Determination is talking about
People often associate Christmas time with Pine Trees, presents, and Santa Claus, but never stop to think about how other Christian cultures such as the African American ones in New Bern,Jamaica, and the Caribbean celebrate this time of year.The contrast between the African-American celebrations called Jonkonnu, and American Christmas celebrations is profound to anybody. The celebrations are with tightly knitted communities that use music,dance, and songs to express their appreciation of one another instead of the tradition of gift-giving. Jonkonnu is an African-American Christmas celebration which takes place in New Bern, Jamaica, and the Caribbean.
The idea of a “damsel in distress” being saved by her “knight in shining armor” is one we are well familiar with. Voltaire, a philosopher from the Age of Enlightenment (a time of questioning tradition and religion, looking to science and reason) uses this same concept to satire love, in his novel Candide. Voltaire satirizes not only love, but other subjects under question during the Age of Enlightenment, such as religion and the military. Exposing there corruption, Voltaire satirizes his main focus in Candide, Leibniz’s theory of Optimism. Leibniz was another philosopher from the Age of Enlightenment, who’s beliefs differed from Voltaire's. An example of this is Leibniz’s theory of Optimism, which states that we live in the best of all possible worlds. The military, religion and love were all elements used in Candide to satirize this theory of Optimism.
The late 17th and early 18th centuries were characterized by The Enlightenment; when revolutions in the patterns in society, science, and philosophy took place (Bristow). Many people started to look for reasoning in everyday life and religion, which more specifically led to the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. As religion and the Catholic Church was questioned, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, an Enlightenment philosopher, invented the idea of philosophical optimism. Optimism stated that the the world was the “best of all possible worlds” because God created it. Voltaire, famous philosopher and author countered Leibniz’s idea in his novel Candide. Candide is a story about the a very naive character, named Candide, who ventures out into the world that Voltaire portrays as having a lot of suffering and consequently, not the “best of all possible worlds”. Because Voltaire disapproves of philosophical optimism, he uses satire to point out its fallacies by ridiculing the monarchy, exaggerating the perils of his characters, and by mocking the Church.
Black history month is an annual recognition of historical events that took place during slavery. This observance period is set aside to honor the lives and history of African American descendants, in many parts of the world. It is a way of giving honor to African Americans, and those who made it possible for African Americans to have a voice within white society. It is observed during the month of February, and is recognized as an historical cultural, and educational presentations across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Black history month is observed in schools, churches, and in different countries. Some people argue that designating only one specific month to focus on African American history is just not enough time,
Americans have been celebrating Black History Month annually since 1926. It was first named "Negro History Week" and later it was changed to “Black History Month." It was started and created by Carter Godwin Woodson, the son of former slaves. The month of February was appealing to Woodson because Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two very vital leaders, were both born in that month (Black History Month). Black History Month is a time to honor and remember the achievements and contributions of African Americans.
There he stands atop the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, in the nations’ capital, at a podium, speaking to the world. The crowds faces full of hope. Ears opened wide and clear, for the Dr. is speaking today. He is speaking from the heart and telling the nation that he has a “DREAM.” Dr. King had a dream and as most people think that it is geared towards blacks and whites, it’s not. Dr. King wanted equality between everybody. He wanted freedom from racism and prejudice throughout the nation. He was very good in getting the emotional perspective of persuasion across to his audience. King was a very inspirational man; his words were so true and full of meaning. He spoke to everyone and got everybody involved. This is why people followed him and why I think this is the most persuasive piece we have read. He not only implies his wants but he carries along with him the wants and needs of every man or woman ever treated poorly because of the color of their skin or their beliefs. There is a certain unexplainable meaning and feeling when a man like King steps up in front of the world and says, “I have a Dream.”
Black history month is mainly a month that promotes racism among society. In nineteen seventy-six, America names February as black history month, as a commemoration of significant events and individuals of the African-American ancestry. Even though, black history month started as an innocent idea and if the American government would have rejected it, there would have been a colossal backlash across the black community. However, if one would take a step back and look at the big picture, one would notice that black history is American history, shows that not all ethnic groups is treated equally and brings a past time up that pours salt in old wounds. Under those circumstances, there should not be a black history month in the United States
Schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Tennessee have started using the method of a balanced school year.That will change there how the school calendar is formatted where there will be longer breaks more often in the school year. Most parents have said the no, and there are decades of research that are supporting what they they are saying . A balanced school year, has been proved that there is no decline in test scores, it put stresses on the teacher in the time that students take summer vacation. With some case have been considered to be harmful to the student learning.
One such holiday is he the Week of Peace. THe holiday is described as being performed before the planting season, in order to please the earth goddess, Achebe noted “No work was done during the Week of Peace. People called on their neighbors and drank palm-wine.” (page 31) The holiday, like most modern day holidays, is heavily based on the culture’s religious ties. The government - or council - enforces the festivals with a passion as the celebration is not just any run of the mill event, it is their life. Another example of celebrated traditions is the annual wrestling competitions between Umuofia and it’s neighbors. Intended as a way for young men to demonstrate their strength, wrestling is very important to many Igbo citizens. All the clansmen gather in to witness the sport. The event is glamorous and heart pounding, described as “The drummers took up their sticks and the air shivered and grew tense like a tightened bow. The two teams were ranged facing each other across the clear space. A young man from one team danced across the center to the other side and pointed at whomever he wanted to fight. They danced back to the center together and then closed in.” (page 49) A day of dance, sports, and music that brings the communities closer together. A way for two separate lands to meet and compete for pride. The importance of this event for the Umuofia government cannot be
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
Countries all have their own distinct holidays, although some can be seen as equivalents, all are still run by ideology. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are all seen as equivalent holidays even though they are celebrated differently, and celebrate different things. The ideology behind Christmas is that it