HERU

One of the many attractive aspects of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday celebrated December 26th through January 1st, is its spiritual feature. Although Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, it nevertheless has a spiritual dimension. One of the many attractive aspects of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday celebrated December 26th through January 1st, is its spiritual feature. Although Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, it nevertheless has a spiritual appeal. Spirituality, is defined here broadly speaking as the highest values which humans aspire to attain, is expressed in the values, concepts and themes of Kwanzaa.

As a value-based holiday, Kwanzaa draws from the “First Fruits” celebrations in traditional African societies. In these societies, at the end of the year, the community came together to give thanks for a healthy and prosperous life, the well-being of the family and to honor the accomplishments of the community and to make a commitment to practicing the life affirming values and the Way of the community. These concepts and values which have been rationally adapted to fit the needs of modern day African Americans form the basis of the Kwanzaa holiday.

Thus, today’s modern interpretation of the First Fruit celebration is translated as celebrating the health, beauty and achievement of the family and community. Therefore:

– Giving thanks for the healthy and prosperous life and the well-being of the family and community is expressed in the faith-based community as prayer and worship and in the secular community as service to others and improving the quality of life.

– Celebrating and honoring the accomplishments of family and community translates into recognizing and honoring children’s’ (school performance and good behavior), honoring the work of parents (It takes a Village to raise a child), and celebrating the achievements of the community (collective accomplishment of everyone).

– Paying homage to the ancestors today means remembering and honoring those who have enriched of the lives of the family and community members- parents; sisters, brothers; grandparents; uncles; aunts; and significant others- friends, and historical figures such as Frederick Douglass; Harriet Tubman; WEB DuBois; Ida B. Wells-Barnett; George Washington Carver; Mary McLeod Bethune; James Weldon Johnson; Carter G. Woodson; Rosa Parks; Marcus Garvey; Ella Baker; Malcolm X; Martin Luther King, Jr and many others.