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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 2004)
a'*’r ^Jnrthutb (©bseruer celebrates December 15,2004 MkWkk Page A 7 Kwanzaa One o f Many Holiday Traditions Uniquely African American Kwanzaa touches on family, culture and community Kwanzaa is a unique African-Am eri can celebration with focus on the tradi tional African values o f fam ily, com munity responsibility, commerce, and Origin of Christmas self-improvement. It is a time o f reaffirm ing African- American people, their ancestors and Celebrate Jesus ’ birth on Dec. 25 culture. Kwanzaa, which means “ first fruits o f the harvest” in the African language Kiswahili, has gained tremen The origin o f C hristm as is, and sh o u ld be, the birth o f Jesu s C hrist, the son o f G od, as re corded in the Bible. N othing more and nothing less. H ow ever, most o f w hat we w itness on Dec. 25th each year has little to do w ith that blessed day, w hich probably o c curred in late sum m er or early fall about 2,000 years ago. In fact, m ost o f the custom s and trad i tions o f C hristm as actually p re date the birth o f Jesus. For example, the earliest ances tors to the Santa Claus o f Christmas date back to pre-Christian days. dous acceptance. Kwanzaa is observed by more than 18 m illion people w orld wide. The African-Am erican holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. M aulana Karenga, a scholar-activist who is cur rently professor and chair o f the De partment o f Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. It is a holiday based on the harvest festivals o f mother Africa and celebrates fam ily, community and culture. O b s e r v in g H anukkah in a revolt that took place around I65BC. The victory in itself was consid ered a miracle, but Jewish legend gives an additional explanation for Hanukkah rituals. Once the Temple Hanukkah, which means “dedi Mount in Jerusalem had been re cation” and is also referred to as the claimed, the Tem ple had to be re “Festival of Lights,” is a Jewish dedicated. According to legend, festival which began this year on only one ja r of sacramental oil was Nov. 30 and concluded Dec. 7. found, enough for one day. M i Hannukah com m em orates the raculously, the oil burned for eight victory o f the Maccabees, led by days, thus the eight days of Hanuk Judah, over the Hellenistic Syrians kah. Festival o f Lights is a Jewish holiday The most important Hanukkah ritual is the candle lighting. Jews lig h t c a n d le s in a sp e c ia l candleholder called a menorah. It is traditional to eat foods fried in oil during Hanukkah. Some com mon foods are potato latkes and sufganiot (jelly doughnuts). An other tradition is to play the dreidel game, a four-sided top. A nother com m on H anukkah practice is giving gifts or gelt, mean ing money, to children. tM N N M M IM M M ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► ► C e le b ratin g W inter S o lstice Origins go back thousands o f years W inter Solstice has been cel ebrated in cultures the world over for thousands o f years. The short est day o f the year in late Decem ber marks the start o f the solar year and the rebirth of the sun. In old Europe, it was known as yule, from the Norse, jul, meaning wheel. Many of the customs, lore, sym Ì 4 4 4 Kwanzaa Goes First Class 4 37USA 2004 Extend the holiday season fo r your children by introducing them to the African-American cultural celebration o f Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a time to cel ebrate life, heritage and values. Here are a few craft ideas from Trish Kujfner, author o f “The Toddler's Busy Book, ” to help your child learn more about this holiday’s customs: available nationwide. The self- adhesive stamp is a different design from the first Kwanzaa stamp that was issued in 1997. Woven mat It is custom ary to place the traditional K w anzaa sym bols on a w oven mat. T o m ake one for your table, fold a piece o f black construction paper in h alf to make a fram e for the mat. Show your child how to cut from the folded edge to w ithin one inch o f the opposite side M ake an even num ber o f cuts Pasta necklace This project offers a creative way to teach your child about the traditional colors o f Kwanzaa. Black repre sents the people, red sy m b o liz e s th e ir stru g g le and green stands for hope. Paint ziti noodles with black, red and green tempura paint. Allow to dry. Spray with clear aery lie spray if you like. Give your child a shoelace (or a piece of ribbon, yarn, or thin elastic cord) with a piece of masking tape wrapped around one end. Show him how to thread it through the noodles to make a colorful neck lace. bols, and rituals associated with Chri st mas are 1 i n ked to W i nier Sol stice celebrations o f ancient Pagan cultures. Celebrate yule with a series of rituals, feasts, and other activities. In most ancient cultures, the cel ebration lasted more than a day. The ancient Roman Saturnalia fes tival sometimes went on fora week. Although W inter Solstice hits this year on Dec. 21, you can make New Y ear’s Eve a W inter Solstice festival by not just welcoming in the new calendar year, but also to welcome the new solar year. Celebrate Kwanzaa by protecting | your family 4 The United States Postal Service 4 released a new 37-cent first-class 4 Kwanzaa stamp, which is now 4 4 4 4 when sky-riding gods ruled the earth. The mythological characters Odin, Thor, and Saturn gave us the basis for many of Santa’s distinc tive characteristics. But the most influential figure in the shaping o f today’s generous and loving Santa Claus was a real man, St. Nicholas of Myra (now Turkey), a fourth century bishop. As a champion o f children and the needy, he was legendary for his kindness and generosity. Throughout his life, St. Nicholas tried to help others while inspiring them to imitate his virtues. Legends o f his unselfish giving spread all over Northern Europe, and ac counts o f his heroic deeds blended with regional folklore. from secondhand | smoke. 1. Children who grow up with smokers in the family are more likely to have asthma than children living in non-smoking households. 2. Secondhand smoke can trigger Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). African-American babies are two to three times more likely to die from SIDS than Caucasian babies. 3. Children and babies who live with - and around - smokers are more likely to have ear infections, coughs and colds. C r e a t e a s m o k e f r e e h o m e d u r in g t h e K w a n z a a h o lid a y — a n d a ll y e a r lo n g . O r e g o n T o b a c c o Q u it L in e . F r e e C a ll. F r e e S e r v ic e . 1 -B 7 7 -2 7 0 -S T O P ( 7 8 6 7 ) Kids can paint this Kwanzaa holiday scene. Napkin rings Ears of com are another important symbol o f Kwanzaa used to represent children and hope for the future. Cut an empty paper towel roll into I-inch sections. In separate containers, mix black, red and green paint with white glue. Have your child paint each section and roll them in popcorn kernels. Once they are dry. insert a napkin and set the table for a Kwanzaa feast. about one inch apart across the entire w idth o f the paper; unfold. Cut I-in ch strips o f red and green construction paper the length o f the fra m e's w idth or slightly longer. Show your child how to w eave the red and green strips over and under the cuts in the fram e. Use glue or a stapler to secure the strips in place along the edge o f the frame. )¡DHS ' Oregon Department of Homan Services TOBACCO PREVENTION AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
