Kwanzaa/Christmas/The SPIRIT of Giving and Remembering - Page 3

AKA_Monet · #31 12-18-2003, 09:20 PM

Yeah, there are some questions about Maulana Karenga...

Yeah, Kwanzaa was about stoppin' Black folks from celebrating Christmas back in the day...

But the Nguzo Saba can still be practiced...

Yeah, they outta be practiced everyday...

It doesn't mean that there cannot be a set aside days to have Kwanzaa...

You lucky, that we even have Kwanzaa that we could appreciate it, 'cuz if we didn't, we'd still be wonderin' why there ain't no Lladro Black Angels... We'd wonder if we'd ever be empowered enuf to connect with our fellow Afrikan bruhs and sistahs... It might be the only way we can connect... Or at least start to connect...

And isn't it all about "connecting" with folks...

'Cain't we all just get along?

Gina1201 · #32 12-27-2004, 01:44 PM

I thought I'd bring this back up in light of the Boondocks comic today and abaici bringing it up in the aw hell to da naw thread on the Blvd., are there others on GC who celebrate Kwanzaa? I don't but I was wondering just how many people do?

BTW, here is the comic. . .

Lady of Pearl · #33 12-28-2004, 12:08 AM

Our Chapter had a pre-Kwanaa celebration for the students in our Ivy AKAdemy, it was great we even had a Karamu at the end of it that was the best part LOL, seriously I believe in the principles of the Nguzo Saba and have taught my class about it, it is something that we should practice everyday, it took me awhile to appreciate it but now I do! Anything to uplift the race! Just imagine if we put this into practice!

Love_Spell_6 · #34 12-28-2004, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lady of Pearl
Our Chapter had a pre-Kwanaa celebration for the students in our Ivy AKAdemy, it was great we even had a Karamu at the end of it that was the best part LOL, seriously I believe in the principles of the Nguzo Saba and have taught my class about it, it is something that we should practice everyday, it took me awhile to appreciate it but now I do! Anything to uplift the race! Just imagine if we put this into practice!

Do you think there is anything that Kwanzaa teaches that isn't already in the Bible? Imagine if we really put Christ's teachings into practice!

AKA_Monet · #35 12-28-2004, 04:41 PM

I found this article interesting. Here is the link below:

About Kwanzaa

Love_Spell_6: I understand what you are saying. It would be nice if folks put more Christ in their lives by their celebrations. But throughout Christmastime, for me to feel the Spirit of Christmas rather than celebrating another pagan holiday, which the accoutrements are Christmas trees, Santa Claus, hustle-bustle stuff, I try to send "Angelic" Christmas cards with folks that look like me--it is critically important to me. And when I do that I feel that some sembelence of Christmas falls within my culture--I can identify with it... And living where I do, I am lucky to find the cards written in Spanish, or get Jewish symbols compared to the "blonde haired, blue eyed" representation of end all, be all of what the entire Holiday Season is... I even purchased cards from Carole Joy Creations on December 1st--and where are they? Still have yet to receive those cards...

That is what I CHOOSE to do with my life. And I am proud of my cultural heritage. I do not identify with blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus, Santa Claus and angels, to put it bluntly. It makes me think I am less worthy to receive the Spirit of Christmas than others.

But that is just me and my opinion... I could be wrong...

Love_Spell_6 · #36 12-28-2004, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA_Monet
I found this article interesting. Here is the link below:

About Kwanzaa

Love_Spell_6: I understand what you are saying. It would be nice if folks put more Christ in their lives by their celebrations. But throughout Christmastime, for me to feel the Spirit of Christmas rather than celebrating another pagan holiday, which the accoutrements are Christmas trees, Santa Claus, hustle-bustle stuff, I try to send "Angelic" Christmas cards with folks that look like me--it is critically important to me. And when I do that I feel that some sembelence of Christmas falls within my culture--I can identify with it... And living where I do, I am lucky to find the cards written in Spanish, or get Jewish symbols compared to the "blonde haired, blue eyed" representation of end all, be all of what the entire Holiday Season is... I even purchased cards from Carole Joy Creations on December 1st--and where are they? Still have yet to receive those cards...

That is what I CHOOSE to do with my life. And I am proud of my cultural heritage. I do not identify with blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus, Santa Claus and angels, to put it bluntly. It makes me think I am less worthy to receive the Spirit of Christmas than others.

But that is just me and my opinion... I could be wrong...

Yea I understand what you're saying...I think... But to me Kwanzaa is just another distraction from the true meaning of Christmas just as Santa Clause is. My African heritage doesn't supercede the importance of the birth of my Lord and Savior, and before I try to practice a made up or pagan holiday, I need to practice what Christ said to do in his word. But this too is just my opinion/viewpoint...I could also be wrong.

AKA_Monet · #37 12-28-2004, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Love_Spell_6
But to me Kwanzaa is just another distraction from the true meaning of Christmas just as Santa Clause is. My African heritage doesn't supercede the importance of the birth of my Lord and Savior, and before I try to practice a made up or pagan holiday, I need to practice what Christ said to do in his word.

Here lies the problem. Dr. Karenga himself said in a celebratory lecture for Kwanzaa I attended in 1993 that this "made up" holiday is not to conflict with Christmas. Christmas in the truest since, the birth of Christ and all the events that lead up to his birth and after his birth are a separate entity from Kwanzaa...

Yeah, the original historical context of Kwanzaa was about "outcompeting" a racist, sexist, biased and commercialized Christmas. But I think Karenga did not realize that his development would become what it did become and what it is evolving into. Whereas, Christmas, does not evolve. The fact the Christ was born to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem--that story has never changed... So, in Karenga's book, he wrote that main tenets of Kwanzaa are not to conflict with religious belief. They are to compliment and carry out and extend one's belief...

The Nguzo Saba does dictate that. Christ's commandment to us was "Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another". I don't think the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles) conflict with that: 7 Principles

They are to be used throughout one's life who desires to pursue that Afrikan Centered life long neglected to us by oppression and ignorance.

That fact is, should we be grateful to the "oh so holier than thou Mr. White Man" for shoving down our throats a religion used to whip, beat and oppress our forebearers with "praises be to Allah", which exiled and kidnapped our forebearers out into the wilderness of America only to feel robbed of our humanity unless we are threatened with a jail term? Do African Americans collectively have any voice that is being heard, clearly? Really?

And don't start with what Christ gives you Heaven... Because I have seen too much craziness to even have utterances to decribe my circles of Hell to anyone...

abaici · #38 12-29-2004, 01:14 PM

Steeltrap · #39 12-29-2004, 01:44 PM

^^
Awwwww, CTFU. Lil' STD's Krunked Up Kwanzaa...

AKA_Monet · #40 12-30-2004, 02:43 AM

Soror abaici,

You ain't right...

abaici · #41 12-30-2004, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA_Monet
Soror abaici,

You ain't right...

I'm sorry, it's funny.

AKA_Monet · #42 12-30-2004, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by abaici
I'm sorry, it's funny.

Tis in the true spirit of the season...

southernelle25 · #43 12-30-2005, 03:58 PM

I don't celebrate Kwanzaa, but I do strive to live by certain cultural principles that are of African origin.

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA2D '91
I can't get my KWANZAA on this year. Our chapter is having it's annual event on Saturday. I'll be out of town.) I was so looking forward to it, especially since our newly inducted Basileus bought me this African dress while she was in Africa teaching a law class.

I guess next year.

From which culture is this dress derived?

Honeykiss1974 · #44 12-30-2005, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08
Does anyone celebrate this? I mean, the whole nine yards, candles, mats, corn, all that?

Nope, not at all. Just Christmas.

Rain Man · #45 12-31-2005, 03:53 AM

I used to celebrate Kwanzaa back in the 90s, matter of fact the church I used to attend would host a Kwanzaa event during one of the 7 nights of Kwanzaa (usually Umoja night) during a citywide Kwanzaa festival.

However, as the years rolled on and my Africentric pro-black militant spirit began waning, my desire to celebrate Kwanzaa did so also. My moving to a church which refused to recognize Kwanzaa at all for non-Biblical based reasons sealed the deal for me and I have never looked back.

IMHO Kwanzaa, while it had good intentions, is a bogus and pseudo-African holiday.