Kwanzaa @ MindSay 
christmas
The highlights, of this week, however, included the beginnings of teaching the three primary "Winter Holidays" of December: Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. I expect also to include the winter solstice, but we didn't get there this week! We started with Hanukkah, by making a large menorah on the wall, and since I actually have 8 students, each day, one of them added their candle to the scene and we thanked G-d for His miraculous love. We also made dreidels (out of squares and triangles) and played the "spin the dreidel" game a bit. Of course, these kids are just 2, and none of them were familiar with any of this, but they remember the word "Hanukkah" - even if there are a dozen ways to spell it! They also heard the historical background told twice ... so far. We also made Kwanzaa candles and talked about their similarities/ differences to the menorah, but since Kwanzaa isn't observed until Dec 26 - Jan 1, we have not displayed these candles. We have yet to "build" the kinara. We have built a Christmas tree on the wall, too, out of giant, hand-painted green blocks, with a Star of David on top. We will be making additional angels, candycanes, and stars to decorate the tree, and we have lovely decorated stockings already hanging on another wall. We have talked and will talk more about the historical significance of these "events" or celebrations (incl. winter solstice), their similarities and differences, and how it is important to respect our differences! Maybe they can help their parents learn this. :P These children are so curious, afraid, moody, hungry for approval & affection, energetic, enthusiastic, rough, short-fused, compassionate ... It's funny how both the positive and negative traits can be easily seen in each child. On a different note, we had our "HUGE" federal inspection Friday. The woman walked into my room when all but two of them were sleeping (naptime), and she spent maybe 5 minutes looking around for safety or health issues, or age inappropriate toys/activities. She also checked two random student files. I didn't hear any feedback, but she was smiling as she walked out of the room. (I'm not losing sleep over it, for sure!) So ... briefly, those are the highlights of my work week. How was yours? :) ~ B 
Why the hell do we have to wish people a happy Kwanzaa during this time of year?
Every network now has to say, "Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa to all of our listeners."
Why is Kwanzaa included there? Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday that is celebrated during the holiday season. Kwanzaa is a fabricated holiday with no religion affiliation. There are now Kwanaaneese.
"But Mullows, it's an African holiday."
WRONG.
One of my best friends was born in South Africa and lived there until he was 17. He never heard of Kwanzaa until he came here.
And have you ever met anyone that has ever celebrated it? Serously. I sure haven't.
Because here's the thing, since it's not a religious holiday, it does not get celebrated instead of Christmas or Hanukah. If a black person is Jewish, that black person is going to celebrate, as Adam Sandler put it, those eight crazy nights. And if a black person is Christian, that person is going to celebrate the birth of Christ. Therefore, why does Kwanzaa need to exist?
Well, it actually does have a purpose.
Dr. Maulana Karenga, the creator of Kwanzaa and the Chair of the Organization Us and The National Association of Kawaida Organizations, actually, honestly, wrote this, which is on the homepage of the official Kwanzaa website:
"The holiday, then will of necessity, be engaged as an ancient and living cultural tradition which reflects the best of African thought and practice in its reaffirmation of the dignity of the human person in community and culture, the well-being of family and community, the integrity of the environment and our kinship with it, and the rich resource and meaning of a people's culture."
Yes, a doctor and double chair actually wrote, "The holiday, then will of necessity, be engaged as an ancient and living cultural tradition..." as if that were an appropriate sentence.
But that's not the point. The point is the message.
According to the website, which is http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org, by the way, a man, not a faith, created Kwanzaa to:
-Reaffirm the communitarian vision and values of African culture and to contribute to its restoration among African peoples in the Diaspora, beginning with Africans in America and expanding to include the world African community.
-Introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles and through this, introduce and reaffirm communitarian values and practices which strengthen and celebrate family, community and culture. These seven communitarian African values are: Umoja (Unity), Kuji-chagulia (Self-determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith).
-Serve as a regular communal celebration which reaffirmed and reinforced the bonds between us as a people in the U.S., in the Diaspora and on the African continent, in a word, as a world African community. It was designed to unite and to strengthen African communities.
-Be an act of cultural self-determination, as a self-conscious statement of our own unique cultural truth as an African people. That is to say, it is an important way and expression of being African in a multicultural context.
See, now that is actually really nice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday season, and should thus not be included in the happy holidays talk with Christmas and Hanukka, but it is very nice.
But here's the thing.
Actual Africans, meaning the people who live in Africa, are totally different from black Americans.
I say black Americans because, in my opinion, as a small white guy might I add, that is exactly what they are.
Yes, maybe they're great ancestors came from Africa, but the people who were born in America, and whose parents were born in America, are just Americans.
How can I possibly say this? Because that friend I mentioned from South Africa is an African-American. When he first met a black guy who called himself African-American, my friend said, "Oh, what part of Africa are you from?" The guy responded, "Huh? I'm from Chicago."
This was offensive to my friend. This guy from Chicago is not African-American. He is American. When Dr. Karenga writes that Kwanzaa is to "reflect the best of African thought and practice" is he taking into account that the way most Americans live is not anything like African thought and practice?
There isn't a holiday to "serve as a regular communal celebration which reaffirmed and reinforced the bonds between us as a people in the U.S., in the Italian country, in a word, as a world Italian community." Why? Because real Italians that hear Americans call spagetti and marinara sauce "macaroni and gravy" think they are are "stupid Americans." Real Italians don't think Americans and them are one in the same. They think that they believe and behave very, very differently from Americans, even if those Americans can consider themselves Italian-Americans.
There is no Irish holiday to celebrate how Americans with Irish ancestors are the same people as those who currently live in Ireland. Or how the Japanese guy who lives in the nice house next to you is exactly the same as the Japanese fisherman living on a houseboat in Japan. Why? Because they are nothing alike. Their cultures are totally different in every possible way. The only thing that is similar about them is that their great, great ancestors came from the same country. But now one is Japanese and one is American.
And still, all that being said, I understand a black American's desire to be familiar with his or her roots. I understand the need to feel connected to Africa. Even though the poor starving children with AIDS who are suffering in Africa probably feel no connection to you whatsoever, I understand you wanting to feel a connection to them.
And therefore, I think the principles of Kwanzaa are actually quite wonderful.
But it is not an alternative to Christmas or Hanukah. I'm sorry but it just isn't. If you are a black person and you were baptized and you regularly attend church, then you should be (and most likely are) celebrating Christmas.
So how did it happen that we have to say Happy Kwanzaa as if it were the same type of holiday as Christmas and Hanakuh, except that it was celebrated by those who practice the Kwanzni religion?
No such religion exists, and the holiday should not be treated as if it does.
Upon hearing this I slammed the door shut, punched him in his gut and said, "Its Christmas time, bitch! Buddy fuckin' Holly didn't die on the cross for us...Christ did and you will respect his sacrifice or suffer dearly!!!"
So after setting Granpa straight I went into MACY"S to do a little shopping and lo and behold what do I see? Not one "Merry Christmas" sign in the entire joint. Oh no but there were countless "Happy Holidays" signs. Well that brought my buzz from kicking the crap out of the old guy crashing down to earth.
I ripped down a few of the signs and marched straight to the chick behind the makeup counter who looked like a sad clown and smelled like a french whore...I asked her, "Hey, Cruella, where the hell are the Merry Christmas signs? Do you doubt that this is the season of the Christian? Are you some kind of godless atheist?" then I told her, "Unless you want me to jump over this counter and beat you like your pimp should have before you left the house this morning you'll hang some goddamn "Merry Christmas" signs in this dump!"
That left her in a heap of runny mascara and made me feel the warmth of the season. Needless to say I didn't buy anything in that store.
Then as I'm driving home i see a sign in front of a preschool that read "Holiday Pageant Today"...wtf? There was no way I was gonna let a bunch of snotty nosed little brats give the middle finger to my Jesus. Not on my watch, nosireebob. So I hung a U-Turn and drove right through the front door of the den of pint-sized heathens with my car radio blasting "Jingle Bell Rock". The spineless parents and teachers all ran for the hills but those children of the damned just stood there with a look of slackjawed amazement.
I jumped out of the car and ran to the stage yelling "Merry Christmas, motherfuckers!" the whole way and taking a few shots at any adult who dared to stand betwen me and those terrible tots. Once I got to the stage the leader of this pagan cabal walked up to me with a devilish grin and said the witchy words that will be burned into my brain for an eternity..."Happy Hanukah, Joyous Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays, sodomite!", he then waved his hand and I was swarmed by a bunch of darksided anklebiters.
The battle was fierce, these 4 year olds were skilled and brutal fighters...some of them had to be trained in mixed martial arts. I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and thought that i would soon be meeting my sweet, sweet Jesus when I spied something out of the corner of my eye...an ecdysiast (look it up!) from the local gentlemen's club (that was serendipitously located next door to the pre-school) standing on the hood of my car that was still in the hole in the wall I created earlier. She began singing "What Child Is This?" while gyrating like Tawny Kitaen in a Whitesnake video and her melodic tones gave me the strength and courage to rise up against my attackers.
It was a glorious battle that saw me win by ripping the head off of the leader of this anti-Christmas cult and using his headless body to beat his followers into submission.
Afterwards I grabbed my earth angel (whose name was Alize) and we went back to her place of business to clean the little kid chunks off my coat and have a Christmas lap dance.
A fitting reward for a true God Warrior.
Merry Christmas everyone.
copyright 2005 Cheryl Binstock / imcheryl.mindsay.com
Rainbow Tribe
The sun rose on a magical new day...
Over the whole earth they came,
The people of every colour,
Sister, Brother, Father, Mother
Traveling over many a land
People of the Rainbow
Children of the Way,
with a fresh glow
Finding their way
Star within...
More and more joined,
a song for the soul...
A new way to live,
A new way to see,
It happened this way...
And a new song,
It came from within
If you can find the Star,
Within then you will find...
What is... What was...
And what will be... you see,
It happened this way...
from within,
The people of the Way
The Rainbow Tribe...
- Author Unknown
Inspired by imcheryl's post - such cool legends and stories and history here!
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