Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Vogabam. Here in late December, there's a
Speaker 1: holiday season that includes four different people around the world Christmas, Yule,
Speaker 1: the Solstice, Hanka, and the Gregorian New Year. These holidays
Speaker 1: are joyful celebrations in which families and friends come together
Speaker 1: to share food and gifts. Kuanza is another such holiday,
Speaker 1: running from December twenty six through January one, during which
Speaker 1: some people of African descent gather with loved ones to
Speaker 1: reaffirm the bonds of family and culture, as well as
Speaker 1: share food and exchange gifts. And It's a relatively new holiday,
Speaker 1: though its roots trace back to ancient African harvest celebrations.
Speaker 1: The name Quanza comes from the Swahili phrase mattunda yakwanza,
Speaker 1: which means first fruits. Many of the first fruit celebrations
Speaker 1: around parts of Africa were also seven days long. Quanza
Speaker 1: is a Pan africa in holiday, meaning that it's meant
Speaker 1: to unite people of African descent wherever they live throughout
Speaker 1: the continent and around the world. Unlike Christmas and Hanukah,
Speaker 1: which are technically religious holidays, though are sometimes celebrated Secularly,
Speaker 1: the Kwanza is a cultural holiday. Many people who celebrate
Speaker 1: it also celebrate Christmas or other December holidays. Over it's
Speaker 1: seven days, celebrants honor family, community, culture, and the bonds
Speaker 1: that tie them together as a people. They also remember
Speaker 1: their heritage, give thanks for the good things that they have,
Speaker 1: and rejoice in the goodness of life. The number seven
Speaker 1: is an important theme of Quanza. The seven days each
Speaker 1: represent one of the holiday's seven guiding principles. There are
Speaker 1: seven basic symbols used in the Quanza ceremony, one of
Speaker 1: which consists of seven candles, and each symbol ties into
Speaker 1: one or more of those guiding principles. Quanza was introduced
Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty six by Dr mal Lana Karenga, up
Speaker 1: Professor in and Chair of the Department of Black Studies
Speaker 1: at California State University and a former civil rights activist.
Speaker 1: He conceived a Quanza during this time when the Civil
Speaker 1: Rights Act of nineteen sixty four was still new and
Speaker 1: the fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments were still years off. In
Speaker 1: this time of great struggle for Black Americans to gain
Speaker 1: equal rights, let alone see those rights respected, Dr Kurengo
Speaker 1: wanted Kwanza to be a means to help them connect
Speaker 1: with African values and traditions, and to serve as a
Speaker 1: bond to unify Black Americans as a community and as
Speaker 1: a people. He chose the dates December twenty six through
Speaker 1: January one to coincide with the Judeo Christian holiday season,
Speaker 1: which was already a time of celebration, and he chose
Speaker 1: a name that comes from the Swahili language, because Swahili
Speaker 1: spoken by many different African peoples. There is a story
Speaker 1: about how the Swahili word spelled k w A n
Speaker 1: z a gained an extra a at the end to
Speaker 1: desert ain't the holiday. The story goes that during one
Speaker 1: of the first Quansa celebrations, there was a children's pageant.
Speaker 1: Each of six children held up one of the letters
Speaker 1: of the word Quanza, but a seventh child, with no
Speaker 1: letter to hold, was left in tears. Someone at the
Speaker 1: event gave the child an extra A, and the holiday
Speaker 1: was thus renamed k w A n z A. A.
Speaker 1: Dr Karenga developed the seven principles of Quanza based on
Speaker 1: the ideals of those first fruit harvests. They might be
Speaker 1: summarized as unity joining together as a family, community and race.
Speaker 1: Self determination that is responsibility for one's own future, a
Speaker 1: collective work and responsibility or building the community together and
Speaker 1: solving any problems as a group. Cooperative economics meaning that
Speaker 1: the community builds and profits from its own businesses. Purpose
Speaker 1: or the goal of working together to build community and
Speaker 1: further the African culture. Creativity that is using new ideas
Speaker 1: to create a more beautiful and successful community. And faith
Speaker 1: meaning honoring African ancestors, traditions, and leaders, and celebrating past
Speaker 1: triumphs over adversity. Each day of Quanza focuses on one
Speaker 1: of the seven principles. Participants may tell a story or
Speaker 1: sing a song related to that principle, or the group
Speaker 1: may discuss them together or both. The seven principles are
Speaker 1: also illustrated during the festivities by the seven symbols. First,
Speaker 1: there's the mat, which is usually made of straw, but
Speaker 1: can also be made of fabric or paper, upon which
Speaker 1: all of the other Quansa symbols are placed. The mat
Speaker 1: represents the foundation of African traditions and history. Then there's
Speaker 1: the crops or fruits and vegetables, which represent traditional harvest
Speaker 1: celebrations and show respect for the people who labored to
Speaker 1: grow them. There's also the corn, which represents children and
Speaker 1: the promise of their future. One ear of corn is
Speaker 1: set out for each child in the family. In a
Speaker 1: family without children, and ears set out symbolically to represent
Speaker 1: the children of the community. Next, there's the candle holder,
Speaker 1: which represents the original stock from which all African ancestors came.
Speaker 1: It holds the seven candles, each of which represents one
Speaker 1: of the seven principles. They're lit starting with just the
Speaker 1: center candle on the first day, usually by the youngest
Speaker 1: child present, with one additional candle lit each day, culminating
Speaker 1: in all seven being lit together on the final day.
Speaker 1: And then there's the Unity cup, which symbolizes the first
Speaker 1: principle of Quanza, the unity of family and of the
Speaker 1: African people. The cup is used to pour the libation, water,
Speaker 1: juiceror wine for family and friends. And then there are
Speaker 1: the gifts, which represent the labors of the parents and
Speaker 1: the rewards of their children. Gifts are given to educate
Speaker 1: and enrich. They may include a book, a piece of art,
Speaker 1: or an educational toy. At least one of the gifts
Speaker 1: is usually a symbol of heritage. They may be given
Speaker 1: out one per day or all exchanged. On the last
Speaker 1: day of celebration, the Quansa Feast is held on the
Speaker 1: evening of December thirty one. The feast isn't just about food.
Speaker 1: It's also a time to sing, pray, play music, perform
Speaker 1: speeches or poetry, dance, and otherwise celebrate Black and African
Speaker 1: histories and cultures. January one, the final day of Quanza,
Speaker 1: is a time for reflection, both individually and as a group.
Speaker 1: Participants may ask themselves who am I am I really?
Speaker 1: Who I say I am? And am I all I
Speaker 1: ought to be? The final candle is lit, and then
Speaker 1: all the candles are extinguished, signaling the end of the holiday.
Speaker 1: Those candles are in red, green, and black, the colors
Speaker 1: that were put forth by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born activist, publisher, journalist,
Speaker 1: and black nationalist who worked during the first few decades
Speaker 1: of the twentieth century. He designed the Pan African flag
Speaker 1: with these colors. Black stands for the African people, red
Speaker 1: represents their struggle or blood, and green is a symbol
Speaker 1: of their future. Quansa decorations and outfits are often made
Speaker 1: in the holidays. Symbolic colors, though Of course, this is
Speaker 1: all just a summary. As with every holiday, there are
Speaker 1: as many celebrations of kwanza as there are celebrants. If
Speaker 1: you are celebrating right now, we hope that you're having
Speaker 1: a bright one. Today's episode was written by Stephanie Watson
Speaker 1: and produced by Tyler Klang. For more on this and
Speaker 1: lots of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com.
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