1
00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,560
Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio Hey

2
00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,239
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogabam. Here in late December, there's a

3
00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,680
Speaker 1: holiday season that includes four different people around the world Christmas, Yule,

4
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:20,560
Speaker 1: the Solstice, Hanka, and the Gregorian New Year. These holidays

5
00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,880
Speaker 1: are joyful celebrations in which families and friends come together

6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,280
Speaker 1: to share food and gifts. Kuanza is another such holiday,

7
00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:31,880
Speaker 1: running from December twenty six through January one, during which

8
00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,559
Speaker 1: some people of African descent gather with loved ones to

9
00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,320
Speaker 1: reaffirm the bonds of family and culture, as well as

10
00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,279
Speaker 1: share food and exchange gifts. And It's a relatively new holiday,

11
00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:44,839
Speaker 1: though its roots trace back to ancient African harvest celebrations.

12
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,640
Speaker 1: The name Quanza comes from the Swahili phrase mattunda yakwanza,

13
00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,040
Speaker 1: which means first fruits. Many of the first fruit celebrations

14
00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,000
Speaker 1: around parts of Africa were also seven days long. Quanza

15
00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 1: is a Pan africa in holiday, meaning that it's meant

16
00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,559
Speaker 1: to unite people of African descent wherever they live throughout

17
00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,839
Speaker 1: the continent and around the world. Unlike Christmas and Hanukah,

18
00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:13,759
Speaker 1: which are technically religious holidays, though are sometimes celebrated Secularly,

19
00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,720
Speaker 1: the Kwanza is a cultural holiday. Many people who celebrate

20
00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:21,640
Speaker 1: it also celebrate Christmas or other December holidays. Over it's

21
00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,120
Speaker 1: seven days, celebrants honor family, community, culture, and the bonds

22
00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,319
Speaker 1: that tie them together as a people. They also remember

23
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,880
Speaker 1: their heritage, give thanks for the good things that they have,

24
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:36,360
Speaker 1: and rejoice in the goodness of life. The number seven

25
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:40,040
Speaker 1: is an important theme of Quanza. The seven days each

26
00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:43,840
Speaker 1: represent one of the holiday's seven guiding principles. There are

27
00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,400
Speaker 1: seven basic symbols used in the Quanza ceremony, one of

28
00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,200
Speaker 1: which consists of seven candles, and each symbol ties into

29
00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:56,240
Speaker 1: one or more of those guiding principles. Quanza was introduced

30
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,920
Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty six by Dr mal Lana Karenga, up

31
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,920
Speaker 1: Professor in and Chair of the Department of Black Studies

32
00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,200
Speaker 1: at California State University and a former civil rights activist.

33
00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,760
Speaker 1: He conceived a Quanza during this time when the Civil

34
00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,720
Speaker 1: Rights Act of nineteen sixty four was still new and

35
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,560
Speaker 1: the fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were still years off. In

36
00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:19,520
Speaker 1: this time of great struggle for Black Americans to gain

37
00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,720
Speaker 1: equal rights, let alone see those rights respected, Dr Kurengo

38
00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,080
Speaker 1: wanted Kwanza to be a means to help them connect

39
00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:30,240
Speaker 1: with African values and traditions, and to serve as a

40
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,400
Speaker 1: bond to unify Black Americans as a community and as

41
00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,880
Speaker 1: a people. He chose the dates December twenty six through

42
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,680
Speaker 1: January one to coincide with the Judeo Christian holiday season,

43
00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,240
Speaker 1: which was already a time of celebration, and he chose

44
00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,480
Speaker 1: a name that comes from the Swahili language, because Swahili

45
00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:52,400
Speaker 1: spoken by many different African peoples. There is a story

46
00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:56,160
Speaker 1: about how the Swahili word spelled k w A n

47
00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:59,440
Speaker 1: z a gained an extra a at the end to

48
00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,000
Speaker 1: desert ain't the holiday. The story goes that during one

49
00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,440
Speaker 1: of the first Quansa celebrations, there was a children's pageant.

50
00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,560
Speaker 1: Each of six children held up one of the letters

51
00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:13,280
Speaker 1: of the word Quanza, but a seventh child, with no

52
00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,760
Speaker 1: letter to hold, was left in tears. Someone at the

53
00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,960
Speaker 1: event gave the child an extra A, and the holiday

54
00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,040
Speaker 1: was thus renamed k w A n z A. A.

55
00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,400
Speaker 1: Dr Karenga developed the seven principles of Quanza based on

56
00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,360
Speaker 1: the ideals of those first fruit harvests. They might be

57
00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:37,360
Speaker 1: summarized as unity joining together as a family, community and race.

58
00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:41,840
Speaker 1: Self determination that is responsibility for one's own future, a

59
00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,840
Speaker 1: collective work and responsibility or building the community together and

60
00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,680
Speaker 1: solving any problems as a group. Cooperative economics meaning that

61
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:53,800
Speaker 1: the community builds and profits from its own businesses. Purpose

62
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,000
Speaker 1: or the goal of working together to build community and

63
00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:01,520
Speaker 1: further the African culture. Creativity that is using new ideas

64
00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,640
Speaker 1: to create a more beautiful and successful community. And faith

65
00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,640
Speaker 1: meaning honoring African ancestors, traditions, and leaders, and celebrating past

66
00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:16,040
Speaker 1: triumphs over adversity. Each day of Quanza focuses on one

67
00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,520
Speaker 1: of the seven principles. Participants may tell a story or

68
00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,239
Speaker 1: sing a song related to that principle, or the group

69
00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,800
Speaker 1: may discuss them together or both. The seven principles are

70
00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:31,279
Speaker 1: also illustrated during the festivities by the seven symbols. First,

71
00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:34,080
Speaker 1: there's the mat, which is usually made of straw, but

72
00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:36,960
Speaker 1: can also be made of fabric or paper, upon which

73
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,040
Speaker 1: all of the other Quansa symbols are placed. The mat

74
00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:45,279
Speaker 1: represents the foundation of African traditions and history. Then there's

75
00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,920
Speaker 1: the crops or fruits and vegetables, which represent traditional harvest

76
00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,919
Speaker 1: celebrations and show respect for the people who labored to

77
00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:56,200
Speaker 1: grow them. There's also the corn, which represents children and

78
00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,240
Speaker 1: the promise of their future. One ear of corn is

79
00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,719
Speaker 1: set out for each child in the family. In a

80
00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:05,279
Speaker 1: family without children, and ears set out symbolically to represent

81
00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,760
Speaker 1: the children of the community. Next, there's the candle holder,

82
00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:13,760
Speaker 1: which represents the original stock from which all African ancestors came.

83
00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,360
Speaker 1: It holds the seven candles, each of which represents one

84
00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,839
Speaker 1: of the seven principles. They're lit starting with just the

85
00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:23,680
Speaker 1: center candle on the first day, usually by the youngest

86
00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,719
Speaker 1: child present, with one additional candle lit each day, culminating

87
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,880
Speaker 1: in all seven being lit together on the final day.

88
00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,479
Speaker 1: And then there's the Unity cup, which symbolizes the first

89
00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,320
Speaker 1: principle of Quanza, the unity of family and of the

90
00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:41,400
Speaker 1: African people. The cup is used to pour the libation, water,

91
00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,880
Speaker 1: juiceror wine for family and friends. And then there are

92
00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,159
Speaker 1: the gifts, which represent the labors of the parents and

93
00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,760
Speaker 1: the rewards of their children. Gifts are given to educate

94
00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,680
Speaker 1: and enrich. They may include a book, a piece of art,

95
00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,520
Speaker 1: or an educational toy. At least one of the gifts

96
00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,200
Speaker 1: is usually a symbol of heritage. They may be given

97
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,640
Speaker 1: out one per day or all exchanged. On the last

98
00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:07,960
Speaker 1: day of celebration, the Quansa Feast is held on the

99
00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,920
Speaker 1: evening of December thirty one. The feast isn't just about food.

100
00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,600
Speaker 1: It's also a time to sing, pray, play music, perform

101
00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,000
Speaker 1: speeches or poetry, dance, and otherwise celebrate Black and African

102
00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:25,000
Speaker 1: histories and cultures. January one, the final day of Quanza,

103
00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,560
Speaker 1: is a time for reflection, both individually and as a group.

104
00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:32,240
Speaker 1: Participants may ask themselves who am I am I really?

105
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,520
Speaker 1: Who I say I am? And am I all I

106
00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,000
Speaker 1: ought to be? The final candle is lit, and then

107
00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,440
Speaker 1: all the candles are extinguished, signaling the end of the holiday.

108
00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,440
Speaker 1: Those candles are in red, green, and black, the colors

109
00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,719
Speaker 1: that were put forth by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born activist, publisher, journalist,

110
00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:53,360
Speaker 1: and black nationalist who worked during the first few decades

111
00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,240
Speaker 1: of the twentieth century. He designed the Pan African flag

112
00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,120
Speaker 1: with these colors. Black stands for the African people, red

113
00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:04,599
Speaker 1: represents their struggle or blood, and green is a symbol

114
00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,560
Speaker 1: of their future. Quansa decorations and outfits are often made

115
00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:12,680
Speaker 1: in the holidays. Symbolic colors, though Of course, this is

116
00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,080
Speaker 1: all just a summary. As with every holiday, there are

117
00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,760
Speaker 1: as many celebrations of kwanza as there are celebrants. If

118
00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,120
Speaker 1: you are celebrating right now, we hope that you're having

119
00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:29,920
Speaker 1: a bright one. Today's episode was written by Stephanie Watson

120
00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,120
Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this and

121
00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:34,760
Speaker 1: lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.

122
00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,560
Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio or more podcasts.

123
00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,600
Speaker 1: My heart Radio visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

124
00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:42,440
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows