146 Kwanzaa ( December 26 through January 1 ) 041226

Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday (lasting seven days) to celebrate family, community, and culture. It begins on December 26 and ends on January 1. ”Kwanzaa” means “first fruits” (harvest) in Swahili. Each night during the seven day celebration, the family gets together and a child lights the candles on the Kinara (candleholder). There are seven candles, one for each day. The number of candles lit represents which day of Kwanzaa it is. Then, one of the seven principles is discussed by the family during the seven days of Kwanzaa: The seven principles are: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. For more detail, see < http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/kwanzaa/index.html >

The African American population is 37+Million*, (which is a big number). Therefore, American calendars usually mark this day.

* Black or African American alone (as of July 1, 2003)

< http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/tables/SC-EST2003-04.xls >

Question from a Japanese?
”How much typical Americans know about Kwanzaa?”

Response from an American:
”I've heard of this word before and I know it is some celebration, but that is about all I know about it.”

Response from another American:
”Regarding Kwanzaa -- I think it is a mix of African traditions that were recently combined to form a holiday. I started to hear about it in the news about five years ago or so. I had never heard of it before then. I don't know anybody who celebrates it or what exactly it is. ”

In summary, we think that many Americans usually know the word, Kwanzaa, and they sometimes know that Kwanzaa is a rite for African Americans. But many Americans don’t know more than that. We think the reason why many Americans don’t know what Kwanzaa is (although the African American pop is sort of huge), is because the U.S. is made up of people who originated from many different countries. Accordingly, this is a big difference between the U.S. and Japan where almost one kind of people (native Japanese) live.

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