Kwanzaa

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I noticed recently the implication in a post that someone didn't know
what Kwanzaa was. Well for those unfamiliar with Kwanzaa, I thought I'd
post this which I found on the CNN website. It's also me mum's birthday
today.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Pip pip

Malcs

----------------------

The History of Kwanzaa

                      A non-religious holiday, Kwanzaa celebrates
                      African-American heritage, pride, community,
                      family, and culture. The seven-day festival
                      commences the day after Christmas and
                      culminates on New Year's Day.

                      Inspired by the civil rights struggles of the
1960s and based on
                      ancient African celebrations, Kwanzaa has become
increasingly
                      popular over the last decade. More than 20 million
people
                      celebrate in the United States, Canada, England,
the Carribean
                      and Africa.

                      Kwanzaa's ancient roots lie in African first-fruit
harvest
                      celebrations, from which it takes its name. The
word Kwanzaa is
                      derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya
kwanza," which
                      means "first fruits."

                      Those roots are the foundation on which the modern
holiday was
                      built. Maulana Karenga, an African-American
scholar and activist,
                      conceived Kwanzaa in 1966 following the Watts
riot. Currently,
                      Karenga is chairman of the Department of Black
Studies at
                      California State University at Long Beach.

                      Karenga says Kwanzaa is organized around five
fundamental
                      activities common to other African first-fruit
celebrations:1

                           the ingathering of family, friends, and
community;

                           reverence for the creator and creation
(including
                           thanksgiving and recommitment to respect the
environment
                           and heal the world);

                           commemoration of the past (honoring
ancestors, learning
                           lessons and emulating achievements of African
history);

                           recommitment to the highest cultural ideals
of the African
                           community (for example, truth, justice,
respect for people
                           and nature, care for the vulnerable, and
respect for elders);
                           and

                           celebration of the "Good of Life" (for
example, life, struggle,
                           achievement, family, community, and culture).

                      Sources: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times,
Chicago
                      Tribune, United Press International, San Francisco
Chronicle,
                      Encarta 96 Encyclopedia

                      1From Karenga's contribution to Encarta 96
Encyclopedia

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