Happy Kwanzaa (or Boxing Day across the pond)!!

So this holiday season I did a lot of reflecting about life, and feeling hella grateful for a lot of things I have in life because one of my best friends got me this sweet Mindfulness Journal! One thing I realized though that I really appreciate is when people go out of their way to say “Happy Holidays” instead of just going for the “Merry Christmas”!

Yes, I celebrate Christmas, but I’m not really as pious as I was the first time I celebrated it, so nobody has to feel like they have to include me in anything. Give me a “Happy Holidays”! As long as you aren’t doing what I got growing up around a sea white people (“So…do you celebrate Kwanzaa?”) The answer is no; I don’t know anyone that does.

Anyway back to business, I recently learned that Western Christianity basically took over the festive season until the mid-20th century (that sucks!) and people weren’t having it anymore. I remember how big of a deal Chrismahanukwazakah commercial in 2004 was the first time I saw in on the TV, considering the federal administration we had at the time - heres a clip from 2005, just in case you don’t remember who was president in 2004…

So here’s a shoutout to all the holidays that tend to get overshadowed by “Merry Christmas”!

Let’s learn!!!!

Hanukkah

Y’all won’t believe how many people in the US celebrate this holiday, for everybody to only think about Christmas! According to a 2015 report by Wilmington, North Carolina’s Star News, the ratio of Americans who celebrate Hanukkah compared to Christmas is 1 to 14. 7% doesn’t seem like a huge margin, but when you look at it, it’s actually hella impressive consider that only 1.8% of the US population are practicing Jews!

Hanukkah, also called The Festival of Lights (not to be confused with Diwali) occurs from December 2-10th. This 8 day celebration commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

The celebration of Hanukkah revolves around the lighting of a nine-branched menorah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown. The ninth candle, called the shamash, is used to light the others; during this, Jews typically recite blessings and display the menorah in a window as a reminder to others of the miracle that inspired the holiday.

Kwanzaa

For as new as Kwanzaa is it’s really impressive that 1 in 49 people in the US celebrates this holiday through December 26-31st. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Mualana Karenga to celebrate black identity, encourage unity, and preserve African culture. The name derives from matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili.

Similar to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa too has a candelabra of great importance called the Kinara which holds seven candles, each represent one of the seven principles , or Nguzo Saba, of Kwanzaa. These are:

1. Unity:Umoja (oo–MO–jah)
   To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

2. Self-determination: Kujichagulia (koo–gee–cha–goo–LEE–yah)
   To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

3. Collective Work and Responsibility: Ujima (oo–GEE–mah)
   To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

4. Cooperative Economics: Ujamaa (oo–JAH–mah)
   To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

5. Purpose: Nia (nee–YAH)
   To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

6. Creativity: Kuumba (koo–OOM–bah)
   To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

7. Faith: Imani (ee–MAH–nee)
   To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

The celebration of Kwanzaa often includes songs & dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and concludes on the 31st with an African feast called the Karamu.

Not a very popular holiday for people in the US, but if you ask any immigrant with UK-influence, they’ll be able to tell you this holiday is legit. Many may know it as St. Stephen’s day also, but Boxing day is the on the 26th of December, or the day after Christmas. The premise of this holiday is to give the gift of gratuity and celebrate the unsung heroes in the service industry: the post-men/women, the janitors, the sales associate at that 24-hour gas station (God bless you, you beautiful sheep!)

I would just like to give a shout out to History.com, y’all! I couldn’t have learned any of this if it wasn’t for them.