Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community and culture. It is observed from December 26 through January 1 and its origins may be found in the first harvest celebrations of Africa, from which this holiday takes its name. Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase, "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African tongue that is the most widely spoken language of Africa. The first-fruits celebrations are recorded in African history dating back to Ancient Egypt and Nubia, with references, both ancient and modern, appearing in other classical African civilizations, such as Ashantiland and Yorubaland, and among societies as large as empires...Swaziland, for example...and smaller groups like the Matabele.
Kwanzaa was conceived and developed in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, an author and scholar-activist who stresses the need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture. Dr. Karenga is a professor with the Department of Black Studies at California State University in Long
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Reverence: A time of special reverence for the creator and creation in thanks and respect for the blessings, bountifulness and beauty of creation.
Commemoration: A time for commemoration of the past in pursuit of its lessons and in honor of its models of human excellence...the ancestors...all the people and actions that have come before.
Recommitment: A time of recommitment to the highest cultural ideals...both personal and communal...in an ongoing effort to always bring forth the best of African cultural thought and practice.
Celebration: A time for celebration of the good...the good life and of existence itself...the good of family, community and culture...the good of the awesome and the ordinary...in other words, a celebration of the good in all its manifestations on the Earth.
At birth, the Hmong view their newborns as a gift and extremely special. At birth, it is called “Mus Thawj thiab, “go become again” or more simple, “reincarnation,” is a traditional Hmong belief (Bankston 2000). When a child is born, they are automatically seen as a gift and reborn as a reincarnated soul. Though, if a child dies after three days of living there are “no funeral ceremonies…since the child did not have a soul yet” (Bankston 2000). The Hmong believe if the child lives past three days, their soul is present though if they die, the infant never had a soul to begin with. If the child lives past day three, then a shaman is brought in and he “evokes a soul to be be reincarnated in the baby’s body” (Bankston 2000). This is considered
For people in Texas they get excited for rodeos or a Cowboys football game but, down in Louisiana on Bourbon St they have a 2 week span party called Mardi Gras. From Shrove Tuesday all the way to a day before Ash Wednesday. Each night has a small parade until the last 5-7 days this is when the big parades are. Social clubs like the Krews organize Mardi Gras. Girls who go can win prizes like get thrown mardi gras necklaces from the boys above. For the men their is only one big prize called The REX .
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, his family and Friends. Dr. Karenga, a professor of African-American History at CSU, Long Beach, was effected by the Watts Riots of the summer of 1965. He felt that African-Americans had lost touch with their African heritage. He began to study ways that they could help themselves and each other. Dr. Karenga wanted to unify his people and instill a pride in their joint culture. He felt that there should be a special time of the year set aside to reflect upon and reaffirm the black community. He studied the harvest and "first fruit" celebrations on many African tribes, and although they all celebrated differently there were
We set sail from England to create the first permanent settlement in North America. We could only go to North America, because our king, King George, granted us charter to establish a colony named Virginia. We landed in Virginia around May 13, 1607, and created a fort called Jamestown. We built our fort on a peninsula, which my friends and fellow shipmates died by diseases. We came much unprepared for this type of life. Most of us came for gold, silver, lumber, and furs in which we could sell in Europe.
Parading on the outskirts of Mobile while dressed up as a Chickasaw chief is how one man became an important factor in the history of Mobile, Alabama, in the mid 1800’s. Now, a day set aside for this man, parades with floats, beads, moonpies, and loud music remind Mobilians of their favorite time of the year, Mardi Gras. The carnival celebration of Mardi Gras has played a big role in the history of the southern cities Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, but the history that everyone believes about the carnival and the people that have contributed to it is not always as true as it seems.
The festival of Mardi Gras came to North America from Paris, where it had been commended following the Middle Ages. In 1699, French adventurer Iberville and his men investigated the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico. On a recognize 60 miles south of the present area of New Orleans, they set up camp on the stream's West Bank. Realizing that the day, March 3, was being commended as a significant occasion in France, they initiated the site Point du Mardi Gras.
One of the worst experiences I have ever had was to attend Mardi Gras in 1994. This feeling is not due to the floats, parties, decorations or food and drink, rather it was due to the lack of space between me and other people. I was caught within a living organism which was made up of tens of thousands of people all located within a very few narrow streets in New Orleans. The amorphous body of which I was but a small component forced body to body contact from all directions with no ability to prevent or control the situation.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. A day set aside to give thanks. Favorite foods are served, and the meal is eaten with those you love. On this special day the kitchen is the star of the home. This is where the delicious feast is preferred. This is where family members gather as the meal is cooked. If you want the day to go smoothly, it is important to prepare your kitchen for Thanksgiving. Read on for the top 5 things that you can do to prepare your kitchen for Thanksgiving.
“Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself; he is not at peace with himself, because he is not at peace with God.” Thomas Merton
Thanksgiving is a holiday when the whole family gets together and feast. In my family this is when all of my family members come together. The thing about my family is that we are like a broken family. Everyone doesn’t get along. So that causes a lot of problems on the table. My family is also outspoken and they like to start trouble. So that’s when the arguments start.
As I continued my journey trying to find my Buffalo herd I kept thinking about the Nez Perce tribe and Chief Joseph. The clothing they wore, the headpieces, their hair everything about them was unique. It would be a shame if they changed it because of the wishes of another. Culture is a big part of everyone's life and one can simply not have culture, even us Buffalo have culture. I remember before my herd left me we would all sing songs and enjoy time together while we traveled across the land of the free. I ended up traveling all the way to Oklahoma and I wished I hadn’t. As soon as I arrived I saw a sign that said, “Save the man, kill the Indian”. The Americans had changed the Natives, ripping them of their culture and love. It was a horrendous
One African American professor named Dr. Maulana Karenga developed the Kwaida theory that exposed the cultural and social disadvantages African Americans faced because of a Eurocentric
The Inuits live in really harsh conditions in the Arctic. They have lived there for a really long time. They live in a place called Nunavut. They are brave to live there. They are not able to make wooden homes, because of their climate region, so they make snow houses called “Igloos”. In the summer, when the snow melts, they cannot make igloos. They live in tent like huts made of animal skins. Inuit communities are found in the: Northwest Territories, Labrador, and Quebec.
Over the course of history, indigenous people have been the target of discrimination, racism, and systematic oppression. Beginning as early as 1492 when Columbus reached the Caribbean, indigenous people were either attacked, enslaved, or forced to move back to make way for European expansion, which ultimately led to the destruction of Native American livelihood. Multiple wars broke out between the Europeans and indigenous groups, like the Pequot War in 1637 and King Philip’s War in 1675. Many indigenous people were forced to assimilate into white culture or otherwise, risk execution. Then in the 1800s, when President Andrew Jackson enacted the Indian Removal Policy, the Trail of Tears occurred (over 4,000 of the 15,000 Cherokees died on the
We all have family traditions, some of which we take pride in, some of which we dread and despise but, whether you know it or not they are what make us who we are. One of my favorite traditions that I can truly say I’m passionate for would have to be Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner for the holiday goes by in a blink of an eye because of all the enjoyment. However, the preparations that lead up to the day are long and prestigious even though they are what make the dinner so great. Since the holiday comes up before we know it, we get started as soon as the year hits mid fall.