TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Kwanzaa, day 7, the last day, is about Faith

Jennie Crittendon lights the seven candles
on a kinara during a celebration of Kwanzaa at the Martin
Luther King Center.

Today, the daddy is feeling the last day of Kwanzaa. He has pledged to act in accordance with its principles throughout the year. And now he is reflecting on his mission and the end of the Kwanzaa, a holiday that doesn't focus on things or religion, but faith in ourselves: our families, our communities, ourselves.

Having pledged unity (Umoja), self-determination (Kujichaglia), collective work and responsibility (Ujima, cooperative economics ((Ujamaa), purpose (Nia), creativity (Kuumba), participants now pledge:

"To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle."

On this day, people generally light the light the farthest left red, the farthest right green, the next red candle, the next green, the final red and then the final green candle. This represents the 7th principle of Kwanzaa.

Second, families discuss the seventh principle.

Third, families share the Unity cup and all seven candles are extinguished. The Kwanzaa officially has ended.

Some families swap gifts at this time, gifts that are usually hand-made or creatively done. Some celebrate by doing an activity, such as eating or going to a favorite place the kids like to go to. Since Kwanzaa is still a relatively new holiday and it's a family activity, it's okay. The last day is meant to be a celebration, and not a day just for boring lessons.

Were these notes about Kwanzaa helpful?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes it was. Hope you do it next year.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I loved your lessons on Kwanzaa, and think it's a wonderful substitute for Cnristmas , or the part of Christmas that has become about buying expensive presents for loved ones. That part is crass and commercial and has nothing to do with true Christian values. If Jesus were here would he celebrate Kwanzaa instead of Christmas?

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hello there MacDaddy!

I love your Kwanzaa focus.

I hope that you will use video in your posts this year since I am sure that you are an amazing public speaker! I don't know how people do those You Tube videos and I am sure I don't have the software on my computer.

You can also do an audio clip using Snapvine. I may try that this year!

Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa

♥ CG ♥ said...

They definitely were. Thanks for sharing!

Stella by Starlight said...

I, too, loved your lessons on Kwanzaa. I cannot thank you enough.

In this new year, and this being the Kwanzaa day of Faith, I think this Langston Hughes poem, Let America be America Again, will give us hope in this new year.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year, dear friend. I really appreciate your sharing the meaning of Kwanzaa again this year. May the umoja your blog brings to so many, continue to spread light, knowledge and ujamaa in 2009 and beyond!

Peace,
jah

Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...

Anon1+2: Thanks. I'll do it again next year. And I'm a little bias, but, yes, I do believe Christmas is too commercial, too crass. It's kind of like Dolly Parton walking around in big, glittering earrings.

Lisa: Welcome.Always good to hear from you. Yes, I could do them with videos. But I'm not very press with videos over photos. I prefer photos, especially old ones. But I'll look into it for next year. Thanks for all the work you do.

CurvyGurl: You know how I feel about you. And your blog keeps getting better.

Stella: I love that poem; and I've used it in my post several time. Maybe I'll use it tomorrow. Thanks for the idea.

Jah: Is this your first time at this blog? Please feel free to return and comment. And thanks for the kind words.

rainywalker said...

daddyBstrong,
Yes. If mankind could but take one of your lessons, it would be a better world.

Stella by Starlight said...

I got to the above post first, but I'd like to say "the same as rainywalker."