WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Kwanzaa Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hi brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our podcasts archives. If you're listening on the day

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<v Speaker 1>that we published this one, it is the first day

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<v Speaker 1>of Quanza, so in the spirit of celebration and education,

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<v Speaker 1>we wanted to share this episode about how the holiday works. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogebam Here. In late December, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>holiday season that includes four different people around the world, Christmas, Uele,

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<v Speaker 1>the Solstice, Hanka, and the Gregorian New Year. These holidays

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<v Speaker 1>are joyful celebrations in which families and friends come together

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<v Speaker 1>to share food and gifts. Quanza is another such holiday,

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<v Speaker 1>running from December twenty six through January one, during which

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<v Speaker 1>some people of African descent gather with loved ones to

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<v Speaker 1>reaffirm the bonds of family and culture as well as

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<v Speaker 1>share food and exchange gifts. And It's a relatively new holiday,

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<v Speaker 1>though its roots trace back to ancient African harvest celebrations.

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<v Speaker 1>The name Quanza comes from the Swahili phrase mattunda yakwanza,

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<v Speaker 1>which means first fruits. Many of the first fruit celebrations

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<v Speaker 1>around parts of Africa were also seven days long. Aquanza

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<v Speaker 1>is a Pan African holiday, meaning that it's meant to

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<v Speaker 1>unite people of African descent wherever they live throughout the

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<v Speaker 1>continent and around the world. Unlike Christmas and Hanukah, which

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<v Speaker 1>are technically religious holidays, though are sometimes celebrated secularly, the

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<v Speaker 1>Quanza is a cultural holiday. Many people who celebrate it

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<v Speaker 1>also celebrate Christmas or other December holidays. Over it's seven days,

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<v Speaker 1>celebrants honor family, community, culture, and the bonds that tie

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<v Speaker 1>them together as a people. They also remember their heritage,

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<v Speaker 1>give thanks for the good things that they have, and

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<v Speaker 1>rejoice in the goodness of life. The number seven is

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<v Speaker 1>an important theme of Quanza. The seven days each represent

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<v Speaker 1>one of the holiday is seven guiding principles. There are

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<v Speaker 1>seven basic symbols used in the Quanza ceremony, one of

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<v Speaker 1>which consists of seven candles, and each symbol ties into

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<v Speaker 1>one or more of those guiding principles. Quanza was introduced

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen sixty six by Dr. Mal Lana Karenga, a

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<v Speaker 1>professor in and chair of the Department of Black Studies

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<v Speaker 1>at California State University and a former civil rights activist.

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<v Speaker 1>He conceived a Quanza during this time when the Civil

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<v Speaker 1>Rights Act of nineteen sixty four was still new and

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<v Speaker 1>the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were still years off. In

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<v Speaker 1>this time of great struggle for Black Americans to gain

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<v Speaker 1>equal rights, let alone see those rights respected, Dr Karengo

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<v Speaker 1>wanted Kwanza to be a means to help them connect

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<v Speaker 1>with African values and traditions and to serve as a

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<v Speaker 1>bond to unify Black Americans as a community and as

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<v Speaker 1>a people. He chose the dates December twenty six through

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<v Speaker 1>January one to coincide with the Judeo Christian holiday season,

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<v Speaker 1>which is already a time of celebration, and he chose

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<v Speaker 1>a name that comes from the Swahili language, because Swahili

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<v Speaker 1>spoken by many different African peoples. There is a story

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<v Speaker 1>about how the Swahili word spelled k w a n

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<v Speaker 1>z a gained an extra a at the end to

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<v Speaker 1>designate the holiday. The story goes that during one of

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<v Speaker 1>the first Quansa celebrations, there was a children's pageant. Each

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<v Speaker 1>of six children held up one of the letters of

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<v Speaker 1>the word Quanza, but a seventh child, with no letter

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<v Speaker 1>to hold, was left in tears. Someone at the event

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<v Speaker 1>gave the child an extra a and the holiday was

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<v Speaker 1>thus renamed k w A n z A A. Dr

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<v Speaker 1>Karenga developed the seven principles of Quanza based on the

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<v Speaker 1>ideals of those first fruit harvests. They might be summarized

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<v Speaker 1>as unity, joining together as a family, community and race.

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<v Speaker 1>Self determination that is responsibility for one's own future, a

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<v Speaker 1>collective work and responsibility or building the community together and

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<v Speaker 1>solving any problems as a group. Cooperative economics meaning that

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<v Speaker 1>the community builds and profits from its own businesses. Purpose

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<v Speaker 1>or the goal of working together to build community and

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<v Speaker 1>further the African culture. Creativity that is, using new ideas

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<v Speaker 1>to create a more beautiful and successful community. And faith

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<v Speaker 1>meaning honoring African ancestors, traditions, and leaders, and celebrating past

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<v Speaker 1>triumphs over adversity. Each day of Quanza focuses on one

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<v Speaker 1>of the seven principles. Participants may tell a story or

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<v Speaker 1>sing a song related to that principle, or the group

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<v Speaker 1>may discuss them together or both. The seven principles are

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<v Speaker 1>also illustrated during the festivities by the seven symbols. First,

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<v Speaker 1>there's the mat, which is usually made of straw, but

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<v Speaker 1>can also be made of fabric or paper upon which

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<v Speaker 1>all of the other Quansa symbols are placed. The mat

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<v Speaker 1>represents the foundation of African traditions and history. Then there's

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<v Speaker 1>the crops or fruits and vegetables, which represent traditional harvest

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<v Speaker 1>celebrations and show respect for the people who labored to

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<v Speaker 1>grow them. There's also the corn, which represents children and

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<v Speaker 1>the promise of their future. One ear of corn is

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<v Speaker 1>set out for each child in the family. In a

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<v Speaker 1>family without children, and ears set out symbolically to represent

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<v Speaker 1>the children of the community. Next, there's the candle holder,

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<v Speaker 1>which represents the original stock from which all African ancestors came.

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<v Speaker 1>It holds the seven candles, each of which represents one

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<v Speaker 1>of the seven principles. They're lit starting with just the

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<v Speaker 1>center candle on the first day, usually by the youngest

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<v Speaker 1>child present, with one additional candle lit each day, culminating

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<v Speaker 1>in all seven being lit together on the final day.

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<v Speaker 1>And then there's the Unity cup, which symbolizes the first

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<v Speaker 1>principle of Quanza, the unity of family and of the

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<v Speaker 1>African people. The cup is used to pour the libation water, juice,

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<v Speaker 1>or wine for family and friends. And then there are

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<v Speaker 1>the gifts, which represent the labors of the parents and

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<v Speaker 1>the rewards of their children. Gifts are given to educate

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<v Speaker 1>and enrich. They may include a book, a piece of art,

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<v Speaker 1>or an educational toy. At least one of the gifts

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<v Speaker 1>is usually a symbol of heritage. They may be given

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<v Speaker 1>out one per day or all exchanged on the last

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<v Speaker 1>day of celebration, the Quansa feast is held on the

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<v Speaker 1>evening of December thirty one. The feast isn't just about food.

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<v Speaker 1>It's also a time to sing, pray, play music, perform

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<v Speaker 1>speeches or poetry, dance, and otherwise celebrate Black and African

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<v Speaker 1>histories and cultures. January one, the final day of Quanza,

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<v Speaker 1>is a time for reflection, both individually and as a group.

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<v Speaker 1>Participants may ask themselves who am I am I really?

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<v Speaker 1>Who I say I am? And am I all I

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<v Speaker 1>ought to be? The final candle is lit, and then

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<v Speaker 1>all the candles are extinguished, signaling the end of the holiday.

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<v Speaker 1>Those candles are in red, green, and black. The colors

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<v Speaker 1>were put forth by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born activist, publisher, journalist,

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<v Speaker 1>and black nationalist who worked during the first few decades

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<v Speaker 1>of the twentieth century. He designed the pan African flag

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<v Speaker 1>with these colors, Black stands for the African people, red

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<v Speaker 1>represents their struggle or blood, and green is a symbol

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<v Speaker 1>of their future. Kwanza decorations and outfits are often made

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<v Speaker 1>in the holidays symbolic colors, so of course this is

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<v Speaker 1>all just a summary. As with every holiday, there are

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<v Speaker 1>as many celebrations of Kwanza as there are celebrants. If

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<v Speaker 1>you are celebrating right now, we hope that you're having

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<v Speaker 1>a bright one. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>how Kwanza Works on how staff works dot com, written

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<v Speaker 1>by Stephanie Watson. Brain Stuff It's production of Our Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the Heart Radio, up Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

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<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows. H