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At this time of year, one tends to take a moment or two to reflect upon ones life. While growing up in the 50's and 60's in a typical Southwestern City, I was secure in the knowledge that "everyone" celebrated the way our family and friends did. You know the ones: Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Halloween, President's Day, 4th of July, Veteran's Day, Christmas, Hanukah and New Years and such. Sure, each family would have their own take on the celebration, but basically I thought I knew the basics of our gatherings.
However, as an adult and a Christian Minister, I felt that I should be versed in all traditions. In my quest to be a good citizen, a good neighbor and most importantly, a faithful servant to all of God's creations, I discovered traditions that I was not aware even existed. The following is what I discovered about Kwanzaa.
Many holidays have us remembering days gone by, actions taken and not taken, as well as things to come filling our thoughts and occupy our time. The enchanting celebration of Kwanzaa has as a part of its ceremony, a special day designed especially for that purpose – acknowledging the importance of reflection.
Between the 26th of December and the 2nd of January, this African-American and Pan-African Holiday – called Kwanzaa, is the celebration of family, community and culture. This seven day custom was developed in 1966 combining traditional African practices, ideals and aspirations. It is filled with symbolism, principles, greetings, gifts and practices.
Kwanzaa builds on the five fundamental activities of Continental African "First-fruit" Celebrations:
In-gathering
Reverence
Commemoration
Re-commitment
Celebration
In the tradition of Kawaida, (Created by Maulana Karenga the philosophy of Kawaida is an ongoing synthesis of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.) They ask themselves three humbling questions:
Who am I?
Am I really who I say I am?
Am I all I ought to be?
Kwanzaa sets aside time for special reverence for the Creator and creation; a time to reflect the past, its lessons and its ancestors; a time to recommit the effort to bring forth the best in African culture and a time to celebrate the good in all things.
Rooted in ancient history and culture, Kwanzaa brings to the African-American a reflection of history, values, family and self. It was created to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between the people, as well as strengthening community, common identity, purpose and direction.
It is important to note that Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to all African-Americans regardless of their religious faith or practices. They can now come together based on their rich ancient and varied common ground of their heritage.
In closing, my quest is to discover the beauty of our differences and focus on what makes us all God's Creations, which is not the color of our skin, a party to which we belong, or a belief that we hold or a place where we live. It is love, compassion, understanding and family which are the common threads in God's tapestry. I may not be able to heal all the ills of this world, but maybe, just maybe I can help heal one person at a time, starting with me.
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