I bought Kwanzaa candles for my local library
My friend Elizabeth the Crafty made a beautiful kinara
We did this because we wanted to represent as many holidays as possible in our little Victorian library.
I know as much about Kwanzaa as you do — only what I’ve read, but I paid more attention this year because at its heart, Kwanzaa feels like the antithesis of Christmas.
The thing is, for all the white angst over a made-up holiday (because Christmas and Groundhog Day were handed to us by Jesus, I suppose), Kwanzaa is a week spent focusing on principles, on self-betterment. Today’s principle is ujima, or collective work. Monday’s was umoja, or unity. Tuesday’s was kujichagulia, or self-determination. The principles’ names are in Swahili, and Kwanzaa means first, as in first fruits of the harvest.
What’s not to like about that? After the bustle (and, let’s face it, commercialization) of Christmas, a quiet, family-oriented holiday that stretches over a week and redirects our focus toward being better people feels like a much-needed course correction. Sign me up.
Here’s a list of the principles. I probably won’t bring those Kwanzaa candles home, but then, you don’t actually need a Christmas tree to celebrate that holiday, so…
Happy Kwanzaa.
Being informed and respectful of other cultures is a wonderful concept, too bad ignorance stands in the way.
This quote came up on my FB page as one I previously shared it seems apropos to your blog's subject today so here it is:
“When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You are too this, or I’m too this.’ That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are.”
Profound words on life by Ram Dass.....