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December 15,2004
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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
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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