Kwanzaa: It Was Popular?
Saw a story on AOL/Blackvoices about the alleged leveling off of popularity for the holiday of Kwanzaa. I, for one, didn't know the holiday was "popular." I know some people celebrate it, love it, observe it, but when I say "some," I really mean I've known only one black family my entire life who actually took it seriously and went through all the lessons, observances and traditions.
Anyway, the Associated Press ran this story about the lack of growth for the holiday.
Four years ago, Evita Broughton celebrated Kwanzaa for the first time with her family — lighting a candle each night and discussing the respective principle.
But she hasn't celebrated the holiday since.
"It felt like a school project that lasted seven nights," said Broughton, 27, of Marietta, Ga. "I didn't feel like I had that connection. I tried to share my experiences with others but no one else was celebrating it."
Kwanzaa, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, may be a mainstream holiday with greeting cards, postage stamps and public celebrations, but experts say its popularity is receding.
I don't celebrate Kwanzaa, mostly for the reasons Broughton states above. I don't feel a connection to it and it feels more like a school project than a holiday. That and ... um, it has nothing really to do with Africa, as it was an American-born holiday created in the 1960s and most people from the motherland will look at you cross-eyed and confused if you ask them about it. I mean, I get it. Some people see Christmas as too commercial, but despite what some confused folks I knew in Bakersfield, Calif. thought*, Christmas is an international holiday celebrated by people of all races. I mean, you can put up your black Santa Clauses and your black Jesus (or for some, that would just be Regular Jesus) and go to town on some black pride if you want. I mean, that's what we did in The Snob household. We would just buy the Kwanzaa branded Christmas cards and decorations because my parents liked to buy holiday cards and decorations with black people on them. We're drowing in black angels and black Wise Men and black shepherds. My mother chased us around with copies of "The Miseducation of the Negro" when I was growing up. Everyday was effin' Kwanzaa in that respect. So the holiday just wasn't really necessary for us.
But, you know? Nice try and whatnot.
What's interesting is the Blackvoices' story that takes a much more sympathetic view towards Kwanzaa and its observation, but the comment section is far more harsh (and a bit more honest, I'd gather) in how some black people feel about the holiday. I don't think black people "hate" Kwanzaa. Some kind of resent it. But most are largely apathetic towards it and its observance. And the one family I knew that celebrates it, loves it and is very happy with it.
So, if you love Kwanzaa, love Kwanzaa. If you like the fact that the holiday has made it easier for you to buy holiday stuff with black people on it, be happy about that. And if you think it's a bunch of made up hooey and you wouldn't celebrate it even if the good Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came back to life and sanctioned it as mandatory for your Black Card issuance, that's fine too. That's what the comment section is for. Let it fly.
*A few years back, when I was a reporter in Bakersfield, Calif. some of the white residents pitched a fit when a Mexican-American city councilman decorated the tree in city hall in little sombreros and piñatas. The common rant was "Christmas is an AMERICAN holiday" which didn't make a lick of flippin' sense considering Jesus was an ethnic Jew from the Middle East and Christmas celebrates the birth of that same Middle Eastern Jew. Oh, and Christianity is an international religion celebrated by tons of people who aren't Americans. But never let that stop a bigot from complaining about some fucking sombreros and accusing Mexican-Americans, who are like DEEP in the Catholicism, for being a bunch of American Jesus hating heathens.
black people, holiday, kwanzaa, limits 
Reader Comments (28)
Deep - You Go Girl....Great Piece!
I really could care less about Kwanzaa. For me it makes absolutely no sense and it annoys me a little because people assume it the "BLACK" version of Christmas. Uhmm no, Christmas is Christmas. Kwanzaa is made up!
as much as I hate to say this, I always felt like Kwanzaa was just a rip-off from the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. What i would really like to know is how Jewish people feel about Kwanzaa...I know that imitation is the best form of flattery, but sometimes, when you have something that's special or unique to your culture, you don't want another culture jacking it and changing it up a little just so they can put their name on it.
I know this is true, because it slightly annoyed me when I saw a group of people performing a hip-hop dance for Korean Heritage Month at my school. It doesn't annoy me when other cultures or races performing hip-hop routines (I love America's Best Dance Crew), but I do have a problem when they're performing said hip-hop routine under a huge banner that speaks of Korean heritage and tradition. That would be like an African-American who performs the traditional dance of Thailand to celebrate African-American heritage.
I've never known anyone that actually celebrated Kwanza and it is annoying when the non blacks assume you celebrate Kwanza.
Yes Kwanzaa is made up. No doubt about it, but if you have never celebrated it then why the hate?
The problem is is that Black people always filter things through their white spectacles. Kwazaa is an observance that you can make you own if you'd only take the time to learn about it. My family and I observe Kwanzaa. It was not meant to be an all out celebration like pagan xmas. I do have a big party on the last day, and the deaf, dumb and blind think that its just a New years day party. Whatever. Not everyone has eyes to see and ears to hear.
Peace
We never did Kwanzaa- didn't know anyone growing up, or in college who did. My parents flirted with NOI, before I came along- so "Christmas" ,(of any shade) was never a big deal in our house. We've all been saved now ;-) from the consumerism too.
Bbook recommendation for -"A Taste of Power" by Elaine Brown- *she* was the Chairman of the Black Panther Party, 1974-1977. I " think" this was when Huey Newton was hiding out in Cuba from El (blanco) Hombre Link to her site.
I mention that, in part, to note that was my exposure to the inventor of Kwanzaa: M. Karenga his ideology/politics as compared, and in the same context: NOI, Panthers just seemed silly. H. Newton's reply to NOI / Karenga was "a pork chop never oppressed us, and wearing a dashiki will not liberate us" or something like that. But all of that makes "us" today.
"Christmas is an AMERICAN holiday"
I sure there was blanco was some where in that mix as well.
I sure there was blanco was some where in that mix as wellyou know what I meant hopefully-I was also testing the eggnogI'm also pretty apathetic about Kwanzaa. But all holidays had their start somewhere. Christmas didn't start to become popular in the U.S. until the 19th century. One thing annoyed me the other day when I was in the post office and the postal employee, a white lady, offered to sell another white lady some Kwanzaa stamps. When the buyer asked her what was Kwanzaa, the employee responded that it was a muslim holiday! Of course, I expect that level of ignorance in small town rural Virginia.
I had a friend that took the celebration of Kwanza (is there an extra a on the end or not?) as her personal crusade. She advocated for an official celebration at our church and took to explaining the holiday to us Pagan Black Folk every year. Other than that, I've never known anyone who celebrated it -Ever.
That said, what's not to like about the principles it promotes?! I just don't care for the implication that we must celebrate to retain our black cards.
I am also apathetic toward Kwanzaa--if you celebrate it great, if not that's great too! I just hate the assumption that because I'm black nonblacks automatically think I *must* celebrate it--I mean, seriously? I guess it's that ignorance/monolith thing, again.
"The common rant was "Christmas is an AMERICAN holiday" which didn't make a lick of flippin' sense considering Jesus was an ethnic Jew from the Middle East and Christmas celebrates the birth of that same Middle Eastern Jew."
LMAO!
"It doesn't annoy me when other cultures or races performing hip-hop routines (I love America's Best Dance Crew), but I do have a problem when they're performing said hip-hop routine under a huge banner that speaks of Korean heritage and tradition."
LMAO
we have this irish pub called the "tilted kilt" about 5 minutes away from my office. it's pretty much an irish themed hooters. but you know......nothing screams irish like a pretty black chick in a miniskirt and knee high socks.
oy vey!
Kwanzaa has two A's at the end. "Kwanza" is Swahili for first fruits and the extra A was added to keep with the theme of 7.. (as the number of completion) 7 symbols, 7 days, 7 principles, 7 candles..so Karenga thought 7 letters.
We celebrate Kwanzaa as a family, much more informally now than when were children.. I like it. I don't expect anyone else to celebrate it.. but I do find people's comments, especially black people's comments, rather condescending and rude. Just as its disrespectful to be derisive about anyone's culture or traditions.. it's not okay to mock Kwanzaa just because you're black too...
I love it as another time to get together and to spend time as a family.. the same thing I love about most holidays. I love taking the focus off of other things and placing them on creating Unity in the family and our community. Thinking about ways we can advance Black folks by supporting their businesses, by reaching our own goals and by defining who we are.
You can do these things without celebrating Kwanzaa... too.. or not do them at all.. But I just wish people would refrain from wise cracks and snide remarks because it is rude. This comment wasn't to anyone above, just in general to the convos I have heard about the holiday.
Christmas is just as made up as Kwanzaa is LOL, You silly negros.
But one teen girl told me she didn't want to celebrate Kwanzaa b/c of the criminal past of its creator, I think thats another reason why people have stepped away from it.
Wow! I never knew anyone that celebrated Kwanzaa. It seems as tho only politically correct white people (those that refer to us as african americans and not just black americans- lol) squeezed it into every holiday greeting as to not leave us out. LOL! But, Christmas was more than enough work and celebration for me. I didn't not need another reason to meet up with my family and their bad kids.
Kwanzaa just seemed like a fake, third-class holiday given to black people to make us feel better. I don't need this self-esteem raising course. I do personal projects for that.
WHY WOULD AFRICAN AMERICANS ADOPT/ADAPT A JEWISH SYMBOL AND THEN CALL IT "OUR OWN"? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? RON KARENGA -- BRILLIANT AND PERSUASIVE AS HE WAS -- KNEW IT WAS POSSIBLE IN THE 1960s TO DO ALMOST ANYTHING N THE NAME OF BLACK CULTURE. AND HE DID. HE COULD AT LEAST HAVE CONVERTED A YORUBA OR ZULU OR WOLOF SYMBOL OR RITUAL AND CALLED IT "OUR OWN." OR WE COULD HAVE TAKEN A SIGNIFICANT AFRICAN AMERICAN EVENT AND RITUALIZED IT. KWANZA SOUNDED VERY WEIRD TO ME THEN (I AM 78) AND IT HAS GOTTEN WEIRDER OVER THE YEARS AS JEWS HAVE COMMERCIALIZED THIS RIP OFF OF ONE OF THEIR MAJOR HOLIDAYS AND TRIED TO MAKE IT A MAJOR ECONOMIC HUSTLE FOR THEMSELVES. IT LOOKS AS IF BLACKS MAY HAVE GRADUALLY LEARNED A LITTLE SOMETHING OVER THE YEARS. MAYBE.
I don't celebrate Kwanzaa because my parents didn't in Africa. It also bothers me that Swahili was the the chosen tongue used to represent the holiday when the vast majority of Black Americans in the US are of WEST Africa descent.
majority of Black Americans in the US are of WEST Africa descent.
Yes I realy wonder where some of these so called militants get their African education from. The constanst reference to Egyptians, South African and Swahili and referencing them to African Americans has always been odd to me.
Didn't the founder of Kwanzaa serve time in prison for beating and raping a girl and tying her to a radiator or some shady type shit like that? I celebrated Kwanzaa once and when I found out the truth about that mess I said forget about it.
Now instead of exchanging gifts I exchange hugs like Mr. President. Easy on the wallet and better for the soul
For the commenter who wondered how the Jewish community feels about Kwanzaa, I can tell you how I--as a Jew--feel about it...
I feel offended that someone decided to copy a holiday which I celebrate and turn in into something else, then claim it to be original.
We were forced to do the Kwanzaa thing for a while as children. But once it was decided (for us - we were NOT the deciders) that Christmas was all bunk, what made the grownups think we were gonna go for something MORE complicated and a lot less fun? Even they got bored with it in a couple of years and i got(and get) to spend my holidays completely unmolested.
I'm a Jew and I'm not offended at all. Why would I be? Because Kwanzaa, like many other celebrations, uses candles to represent something significant? Hanukkah is a minor holiday that is celebrating a miracle, not candles.
spiderlgs brings up a very good point: Just because you disagree with or don't like a holiday doesn't mean you should disrespect it. Even though I've never celebrated Kwanzaa and have yet to meet anyone who has celebrated it on a regular basis, I will try to be more conscious of how I speak about it in the future.
The problem, as has already been stated, is that with the commercialization of Kwanzaa came this notion that it was somehow widespread amongst blacks, when in truth it never was. It's interesting how people (regardless of race, sadly) insist on painting all of us with the same black brush...Kwanzaa is just another example of that.
I wouldn't be too upset that it doesn't have anything to do with Africa. How many American Swedes parade the Saint Lucia Xmas virgin with her crown of candles? Any reason for a winter party. Will it catch on as a tradition? Not if people don't celebrate it. Maybe over generations if they do.