# Who actually celebrates Kwanzaa? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889 "2007-11-27T05:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/1 "2007-11-27T05:56:12Z")
It’s at the point now where Kwanzaa gets treated as more or less a mainstream holiday by the media and just by pop culture in general - “Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa!” and whatnot. I hear so much about it every year. But I’ve never actually met anyone who celebrated it. Or should I say, who I \*knew \*to celebrate it. Almost all the blacks I know identify as Christian, mostly Episcopal. The rest are Muslim. These people aren’t celebrating Kwanzaa, right? They’re celebrating Christmas or observing the Islamic holy days. I kind of get the impression, just given the basic information that I know about the holiday’s origins and the time period that it originated in (the 60s) that Kwanzaa was created by black radicals as an alternative to Christmas, which is a European (white) holiday and therefore should not have significance to blacks. The Wikipedia entry on it states: > [@](#): > > Kwanzaa: origin, concepts, practice, Karenga stated, that Kwanzaa “was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.” > > In 1997, Karenga changed his position, stating that while Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday, it can be celebrated by people of any race: “other people can and do celebrate it, just like other people participate in Cinco de Mayo besides Mexicans; Chinese New Year besides Chinese; Native American pow wows besides Native Americans.” > > Currently, according to the Official Kwanzaa Website authored by Karenga and maintained by Organization US, which Karenga chairs, “Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday. And it is not an alternative to people’s religion or faith but a common ground of African culture…Kwanzaa is not a reaction or substitute for anything. In fact, it offers a clear and self-conscious option, opportunity and chance to make a proactive choice, a self-affirming and positive choice as distinct from a reactive one.” So it seems like maybe it was originally created as a black alternative to Christmas but maybe now has turned into a holiday celebrated by blacks in _addition_ to Christmas. Is this true? I’m not making a judgment here - I mean, all holidays were “invented” at some point and if it brings people closer together and lets them have a good time, then it’s a good thing whether it was created in the 60s or in ancient times. But it seems like for all the exposure that Kwanzaa gets, I never hear about anyone celebrating it. Are there any black people here who celebrate Kwanzaa? If so, do you celebrate it alone or in addition to Christmas? Were you raised with the tradition of Kwanzaa? Do you celebrate it with your immediate family only, or with your extended family? And what are some of the traditional foods, activities, or songs that are part of the celebration? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/2 "2007-11-27T13:45:16Z")
Here locally in Springfield, IL (about 15% black), there are Kwanzaa celebrations here and there every December. Judging by the photos in the local rag, they’re pretty sparsely attended. Most of the blacks I know self-identify as Christian, and Kwanzaa isn’t on their radar. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/3 "2007-11-27T14:28:17Z")
I’ve wondered about this myself. Every year there will be a news story about Kwanzaa here and there will be footage from Malcolm X College in Chicago about people celebrating it. All of about 25 of them. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/4 "2007-11-27T14:33:49Z")
Kwanzaa’s not mutally exclusive with Christmas, is it? I mean, being Christian doesn’t preclude celebrating it, right? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/5 "2007-11-27T14:57:57Z")
About a hundred people in Berkley celebrate it, that’s about it, but the media is too afraid to not give it attention for fear of charges of racism, therefore every newspaper and TV outlet in the country is obligated to find the one black family in the area who celebrates it and devote coverage to them. Why someone felt the need to create a _race_ based holiday is beyond me, when Christmas and Hannukah are religion based- what’s next, black Jews coming up with an afro-centric alternative to Hannukah? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/6 "2007-11-27T14:58:03Z")
I don’t know anyone who does. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/7 "2007-11-27T15:23:18Z")
I’m more surprised that there are many black Episcopalians. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/8 "2007-11-27T15:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Why someone felt the need to create a _race_ based holiday is beyond me, when Christmas and Hannukah are religion based- what’s next, black Jews coming up with an afro-centric alternative to Hannukah? [/QUOTE] I think it’s more of a culture based holiday (hodge podge of African cultural traditions) than a race based one. It just so happens that Africa is predominantly black. And to the extent that those cultures have their own religious origins, it’s certainly as religious as things like Santa Claus are. That said, I don’t personally know anyone who celebrates. It seems like a neat tradition so if I did know anyone, I wouldn’t mind being invited and seeing what it’s all about… ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/9 "2007-11-27T16:58:54Z")
I always see Kwanzaa greeting cards for sale in stores in December. They keep stocking them, so someone must be buying them. They can’t ALL be sold as gag gifts. If it’s not being celebrated by more than a few thousand people at most, how long can Kwanzaa last? Is the number of people celebrating it growing over time? I know it takes time to establish new traditions, but the interest has to be there too. I think the big mistake was trying to make it a replacement for Christmas instead of its own separate thing. If it were held during a less holiday-intensive time of year and didn’t come off like “Made-Up Black Christmas” (which I’m not saying it is, but I think that’s a common perception) it probably would be more popular and well-understood. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/10 "2007-11-27T18:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] Kwanzaa’s not mutally exclusive with Christmas, is it? I mean, being Christian doesn’t preclude celebrating it, right? [/QUOTE] I think you’re basically restating the OP. IOW: According to everything I’ve read, they’re not mutually exclusive, so being Christian **shouldn’t** preclude Kwanzaa, but apparently, it **does** preclude Kwanzaa. OTOH, there’s another possibility, namely, that Kwanzaa is largely uncelebrated for reasons **other** than a _percieved_ conflict with Christmas. I could speculate on what those other reasons are, but being a white Jew I really don’t feel qualified. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/11 "2007-11-27T19:07:19Z")
Well, I sort of celebrate it. At least I always try to send my brother Bill an electronic Kwanzaa card from the BlueMountain site: [Free Ecards & Greeting Cards | Blue Mountain](http://www.bluemountain.com/display.pd?prodnum=3041614&path=35531) According to the founder’s note on the website, millions the world over celebrate Kwanzaa, and the number is undergoing continued rapid growth: [http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml](http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml) Should you be interested in making Kwanzaa even more succesful, donations are welcome and the website tells you how to get them there. In the interest of equal opportunity I can give you an address where you send a donation which I will use to help make Christmas more successful…at least for the Pedant home. Let me know. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/12 "2007-11-27T19:33:28Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m more surprised that there are many black Episcopalians. The African Methodist Episcopalian church (usually abbtreviated AME) is a pretty big organization. I’ve got some of their literature. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/13 "2007-11-27T20:12:25Z")
I think that they are ignoring the festivus celebrators though. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/14 "2007-11-27T21:40:07Z")
According to the follwing excerpt from the creator of it via Wikiepdia, it _is_ supposed to be an alternative, not an adjunct, to Christams/Hannukah, etc: “…it was chosen to give a Black alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.” ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/15 "2007-11-27T22:13:46Z")
Since Kwanzaa is celebrated during the holiday rush (remember that the Muslim Hajj occurs in December this year), it is commonly perceived as another holiday, separate from Christmas or Hanukah. This might not be what is currently taught but it is the perception. None of my African-American friends or coworkers celebrate it. In fact, my coworker from Nigeria thinks it is a load of made up garbage. What Kwanzaa needs is a secular personification in order to popularize it. Christmas has Santa Claus. And who could forget Hanukah Harry? [AOL Video - Serving the best video content from AOL and around the web - AOL.com](http://video.aol.com/video-detail/hanukkah-harry/3777610622) 😉 We need to come up with somebody that could be plastered on cards and presents, maybe make a Rankin Bass stop motion holiday special about them. Maybe an African woman with a regal bearing, wearing a Senegalese style Bubu and head gear. Any ideas on a name? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/16 "2007-11-27T22:46:17Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] According to the follwing excerpt from the creator of it via Wikiepdia, it _is_ supposed to be an alternative, not an adjunct, to Christams/Hannukah, etc: [/QUOTE] You might want to read the whole OP. According to the passages quoted there, which include the one you cited plus some that bring the matter up to date, make that _ **was** _, not “is.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/17 "2007-11-27T22:57:45Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] The African Methodist Episcopalian church (usually abbtreviated AME) is a pretty big organization. I’ve got some of their literature. [/QUOTE] I thought about that, but they are pretty much a Methodist church. The “Episcopal” in their name refers to their system of polity (e.g. they have bishops), but their theology is thoroughly Methodist. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/18 "2007-11-27T23:25:03Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] You might want to read the whole OP. According to the passages quoted there, which include the one you cited plus some that bring the matter up to date, make that _ **was** _, not “is.” [/QUOTE] You’re right, I missed that, thanks. It seems odd though to change the intent of something midstream, maybe not enough support? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/19 "2007-11-28T02:59:57Z")
[QUOTE=Slypork] What Kwanzaa needs is a secular personification in order to popularize it. Christmas has Santa Claus. And who could forget Hanukah Harry? [News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com](http://video.aol.com/video-detail/hanukkah-harry/3777610622) 😉 We need to come up with somebody that could be plastered on cards and presents, maybe make a Rankin Bass stop motion holiday special about them. Maybe an African woman with a regal bearing, wearing a Senegalese style Bubu and head gear. Any ideas on a name? [/QUOTE] Little Bill, if Cosby would go for it, Mr Cunningham: [http://www.bluemountain.com/display.pd?prodnum=3041614&path=35531](http://www.bluemountain.com/display.pd?prodnum=3041614&path=35531) ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889/20 "2007-11-28T03:13:21Z")
In girl scouts as a kid we’d do a multi-cultural holiday thing in December where we “celebrated” Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa. (This included lots of craft projects like making dreidels and Kwanzaa candles and stuff) I remember thinking it was a lot like Hannukah, with the candle-lighting and all (it’s like a multi-colored menorah and each candle is supposed to represent a different quality, like hard work or trustworthiness or something). But anyway, I guess you could say I celebrated it before. I don’t know anyone who actually celebrates it now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-actually-celebrates-kwanzaa/427889.md?page=2)