Today marks the start of Kwanzaa, a 7-day celebration of African American culture and traditions. The relatively new holiday is celebrated primarily in the U.S., but it's never gotten much attention.
AYANA HAMILTON: Growing up African American in the suburbs of the West Valley made me crave something more than Christmas.
I realized this in high school when the teacher asked the class, “What is a Christmas tradition that you look forward to?”
The overwhelming response was, “Making tamales.” The way my classmates’ eyes lit up talking about their traditions made me feel like the odd-one out.
All my family did was open presents early on Christmas Day while my dad cooked a hearty breakfast, which always included both bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs, waffles and grits.
Breakfast usually puts us in a sleep coma until the evening … and that’s it. The craving for something more always gets stronger when I wake up.
But this year I think I have a solution. Maybe I can satisfy this craving with a holiday that isn’t taken as seriously as it should be: Kwanzaa, which begins today.
I’d known for a while that Kwanzaa exists but that was it till I did some research this year. I learned that Kwanzaa isn’t an alternative to Christmas. It’s a non-religious holiday created by and for African Americans focused on appreciation for what the earth provides.
The holiday’s inspiration is the African “first fruits” festivals. The common aspect of these festivals is bringing together the most valuable fruit of the nation, its living human harvest. It’s celebrated during the last week of the year to encourage reflection and allow for a chance to make goals for the coming year.
With hopes of bringing a Kwanzaa celebration to my family this year, I asked my parents why we never celebrated it in the first place. Their response was that it never caught on … and plus, we already have Christmas.
My parents are right. Kwanzaa never did become much of a thing – either in Phoenix or across the United States.
The holiday is a bit older than my parents. The first celebration was held in 1966. Dr. Maulana Karenga, an American activist and Black Studies scholar, is known as the creator of the week-long holiday. He has said that Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture.
Some say Kwanzaa never really happened because Karenga is a controversial figure, even in the Black community. Others call it a “made up” holiday. The lack of a religious connection has made it tough to compete with Christmas. And who can ever hope to match that commercialism?
But I still feel compelled to try out the holiday myself. I decided against buying the candleholder or kinara representing the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Instead, I painted seven glass candle holders to represent Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith.
I hesitated buying the kinara because even though I felt connected to the principles, I don’t feel connected to my African heritage.
To this very moment, it hurts that I don’t know what part of Africa my family is from. Will celebrating Kwanzaa make me feel like a fraud? The more I considered it, the more the holiday made me start to question my identity as a Black American. I can understand why we never celebrated the holiday … but I still want to try to find a real connection to my roots.
And so on the first day of Kwanzaa, my family will be joining me to reflect on our African heritage and celebrate Black culture by listening to our favorite songs and eating soul food.
Happy Kwanzaa.
A Kwanzaa Cultural Festival will take place on Dec. 28 at the Afri-Soul Marketplace in Phoenix.
