KWANZAA HANUKKAH

KWANZAA HANUKKAH

kwanzaa is a spiritual celebration of the oneness and goodness of life. On December 26, 1966, Dr Maulana Ron Karenga formulated and developed Kwanzaa. African Americans weren´t used to celebrating their past. He believed that the only way to achieve a revolutionary change for Black Americans was to promote awareness of African American heritage. Dr. Karenga wished to go back to the "way of life" that the ancestors of Black Americans used to have. This "way of life" allowed them to endure slavery, racism and oppression after their arrival in America. Dr. Karenga's goal was to develop self-awareness and facilitate self-esteem among Black Americans by exposing them to Kwanzaa, A SET OF PRINCIPLES BASED ON A COMMON HERITAGE.

Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and lasts until January 1st. A great feast called Kamaru is heald on the night of December 31st and houses are decorated in the traditional colours of black unity: red, black and green. The food includes the fruit and vegetables of the year's harvest, like corn, and the gifts given are often home-made. Today, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATE kWANZAA THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Many people mistake it for an African American form of Christmas because it occurs the day after Christmas, but actually it has no ties with any religion.

If Kwanzaa is a struggle for self-awareness, the story of Hanukkah is the struggle for religious freedom. More than a thousand years ago, the foreign rules of the Israelites forced the Jews to forget Judaism and to bow to the image of their leader. But the Jews refused; in fac, Jewish law prohibited them from bowing to statues or idols. A small group of Jews called the Maccabees-risked their lives to live freely. They won, but the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when they finished they relit the menorah, a symbol of the eternal agreement (covenant) between God and the Jewish people. Although there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one night, the oil burned for eight days and nights until they were able to make more oil.

Today, the commemoration of those nights is called Hanukkah. It begins on the 25th day of Kislev (normally December, in the Gregorian calendar) and lasts for eight days. Relatives gather together, give gifts to children and most important, light a candle of the menorah each day. Hanukkah isn't a major Jewish celebration but, because of its a proximity to Christmas, it´s very important in countries such as USA, were Christmas has a great deal of commercial and culture importance.

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KWANZAA HANUKKAH

kwanzaa is a spiritual celebration of the oneness and goodness of life. On December 26, 1966, Dr Maulana Ron Karenga formulated and developed Kwanzaa. African Americans weren´t used to celebrating their past. He believed that the only way to achieve a revolutionary change for Black Americans was to promote awareness of African American heritage. Dr. Karenga wished to go back to the "way of life" that the ancestors of Black Americans used to have. This "way of life" allowed them to endure slavery, racism and oppression after their arrival in America. Dr. Karenga's goal was to develop self-awareness and facilitate self-esteem among Black Americans by exposing them to Kwanzaa, A SET OF PRINCIPLES BASED ON A COMMON HERITAGE.

Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and lasts until January 1st. A great feast called Kamaru is heald on the night of December 31st and houses are decorated in the traditional colours of black unity: red, black and green. The food includes the fruit and vegetables of the year's harvest, like corn, and the gifts given are often home-made. Today, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CELEBRATE kWANZAA THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. Many people mistake it for an African American form of Christmas because it occurs the day after Christmas, but actually it has no ties with any religion.

If Kwanzaa is a struggle for self-awareness, the story of Hanukkah is the struggle for religious freedom. More than a thousand years ago, the foreign rules of the Israelites forced the Jews to forget Judaism and to bow to the image of their leader. But the Jews refused; in fac, Jewish law prohibited them from bowing to statues or idols. A small group of Jews called the Maccabees-risked their lives to live freely. They won, but the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when they finished they relit the menorah, a symbol of the eternal agreement (covenant) between God and the Jewish people. Although there was only enough oil to light the menorah for one night, the oil burned for eight days and nights until they were able to make more oil.

Today, the commemoration of those nights is called Hanukkah. It begins on the 25th day of Kislev (normally December, in the Gregorian calendar) and lasts for eight days. Relatives gather together, give gifts to children and most important, light a candle of the menorah each day. Hanukkah isn't a major Jewish celebration but, because of its a proximity to Christmas, it´s very important in countries such as USA, were Christmas has a great deal of commercial and culture importance.