Celebrating Kwanzaa-Maya Angelou...

Poem:  On the Pulse of Morning

Principles of Kwanzaa

Principles and symbols

Seven candles in a candelabra symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said "is a communitarian African philosophy," consisting of what Karenga called "the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world." These seven principles comprise *Kawaida, a Swahili word meaning "common". Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:^[9]

• Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
• Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
• Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
• Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
• Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
• Kuumba (Creativity): 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.
• Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a Kinara (candle holder), Mishumaa Saba (seven candles) mazao (crops), Muhindi (corn), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup) for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, and Zawadi (gifts). Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster, the black, red, and green bendera (flag), and African books and artworks – all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.^[10] With corn being the primary symbol for both decoration and celebratory dinning.

Observance

A woman lighting kinara candles

Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente, especially the wearing of kaftans by women, and fresh fruits that represent African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. Libations are shared, generally with a common chalice, Kikombe cha Umoja, passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.^[11] The holiday greeting is "Joyous Kwanzaa".^[12][13][14]
A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness, reflection on the Pan-African colors, a discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter in African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performance, and, finally, a feast (karamu). The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is Habari Gani?^[15] which is Swahili for "How are you?"^[16]
At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of kujichagulia (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, many African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with Christmas and New Year's.^[17] Frequently, both Christmas trees and kinaras, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African American roots, share space in Kwanzaa-celebrating households. For people who celebrate both holidays, Kwanzaa is an opportunity to incorporate elements of their particular ethnic heritage into holiday observances and celebrations of Christmas.
Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts featuring interpretive dance, African dance, song and poetry.^[18][19][20]
The holiday has also spread to Canada, and is celebrated by Black Canadians in a similar fashion as in the United States.<sup>[21]

from Wikepedia</sup>

Happy Kwanza

Celebrating one of the principals of Kwanzaa:

Determination:

If not for the determination of our ancestors,
where would we be.  It is up to us to treasure
their gift of endurance and continue the work
with the same endurance.  "For the race is not
given to the swift or the strong, but to the one
who endures until the end."

For Our Gain

I just want to say thank you
For all that was done,
For the victories that were won,
For our gain
The privileges we embrace came at great cost
Lives were lost.
Men, women and children
Scarred and battered;
Their dreams shattered.
They suffered and endured the pain
For our gain.
We have no right to cry woe is me.
Only grace has kept us from hanging from a tree.
We cannot forget from whence we have come,
All that was done
For our gain
For our gain,
Men were sent to their graves,
Not as free men, but as slaves.
We must not forget on whose backs we ride.
For our gain, Rosa took that ride.
For or gain, the Freedom Riders stood with pride.
If we look back at our history,
We cannot help but say, Thank God we are free.
Thank God for every victory,
For every obstacle we have overcome
For everything that was done
For our gain
For our gain.
We cannot fall asleep.
There is a promise to keep.
In case you didn't know,
There is a debt we owe.
If we are to honor our past,
There is a baton to be passed,
A hill to be climbed by all.
It is our destiny and our call.
Martin shared his dream,
In faith, believing
We would know what it means
Oh that he could have lived to see
The defeats being swallowed up in victory.
In faith, he gave his life.
He made that sacrifice.
For our gain!
He did it all
For our gain.

From Living the Dream, copyright 2014
by Patricia Newman-Harris

Remember

To those who believe

Christmas only comes in December

Let’s take a moment to remember.

Remember the Holy one

Remember all that he has done.

Christmas is much more than a season,

Much more than a few days of fun.

Christmas is a time to remember.

Remember the love

That was sent from above.

Remember God’s grace,

Remember his mercy

By showing the same love and trust

That he has shown us.

It’s taking a stance,

Independent of circumstance.

It’s opening your home

When someone is spending Christmas alone.

It’s going out of your way to help the deprived.

It’s offering a ride,

Giving an encouraging word or two,

Doing whatever you can do.

It’s standing in a gap for a sister or brother,

It’s about helping one another.

Regardless of ethnicity, birthplace

Or race.

It’s the caring

It's the sharing

It’s about putting a smile on the face

Of children in India, Africa

And America.

It’s the showing of God’s amazing grace.

Not just one day,

But everyday 

                                                                    It’s the giving.

                                                                    It’s the living.

No matter what the reason

Or whatever the season might be

It’s showing the same love we receive

To those who believe Christmas only comes in December,

Lets take a moment to remember.

Remember God’s love.

Remember his grace.

Remember

Remember

Not just in December

Remember 

He is There..Dedicated to the those who find themselves alone and lonely this holiday season.

He is There

At Christmas time,
it is easy to become disheartened
by circumstance,
A broken romance,
The loss of house and home,
Feeling lonely and alone
Or being far away
From family and friends
on Christmas day.
But no matter where we are,
or what we have to endure,
Our faith in him is secure.
Wherever we are, he is there.
We can feel his presence surrounding us
On a lonely highway or deserted hill.
In the quiet and still,
We can hear him whispering
I am here.
The spirit of Christmas resides in the heart
of every man, woman, boy and girl,
All around the world.
Christmas is not about where we are or how we feel
It's not about a place.
He never stops showering us with his amazing grace.
His joy abounds
All around.
So, when you feel yourself becoming
sad and disheartened,
Remember this,
At the center of the Christmas season is a Savior
Who doesn't need a Christmas list
To grant our every wish.
He has already given us the greatest gift anyone can give.
In him, we live,
breathe and have our being.
Without him, Christmas would have no meaning.
If we call him, he will answer,
wherever we are,
Near or far;
From the hospital bed,
From the desert of Iraq,
from the homeless shelter,
On skid row,
From a cold dark jail cell,
Or from the make shift home under the freeway.
His love and mercy will never go away.
He is everywhere.
Wherever you are, he is there.

Copyright P. Newman Harris
2013