Kwanzaa: Cultural celebration

Sunday marks the beginning of Kwanzaa. The seven-day festival is a secular observance, not a religious or political one. Its goal is to strengthen and affirm African cultural identity and community values. It is marked, here and elsewhere, with great pride and a deep spirituality.

The event, which takes its name from a Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits" and which historically is linked to African harvest festivals, encourages celebrants to honor their African roots while recognizing their positive role in contemporary U.S. society. The festival is not elitist or separatist. Indeed, it promotes ethnic and cultural pride within the broader community.

There is a tendency by many to equate Kwanzaa with Christmas. That is not the case. They are distinctly different events. Many families, in fact, observe both the holiday that is at the core of their religious faith and then participate in the festival that celebrates their culture.

The holiday is based on seven principles of black culture. Kwanzaa celebrates umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). Those principles, of course, are not limited to a specific culture. Indeed, they unite individuals from many cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Celebrating them, directly or indirectly, is a positive addition to the national calendar of events.

Each day of the festival, a different principle is marked and a candle symbolizing it is kindled by celebrants. The ceremony often is accompanied by a gift exchange and festive meals. Another feature in many observances is a community feast that features traditional foods, musical and other performances, ancestral ceremonies and the making of new year's resolutions.

For generations, Americans took pride in calling their nation a "melting pot," a place where individuals from different lands and cultures would migrate and shake off old and established traditions and replace them with distinctly American habits. That's still true, in part, but contemporary America is now more a mosaic of many different heritages rather than a homogenous culture.

There's nothing wrong with that. Americans, whatever their background, always have found ways to celebrate their origins without diminishing the appreciation and ardor they have for their new homeland. Kwanzaa is another addition to that notably American custom.

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