Does anyone actually celebrate Kwanzaa?

Seriously, I'd like to know....

I think I first heard about it from a Rugrats special when I was little.

I know a few people who are Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah.

But I haven't met a single black person yet who celebrates Kwanzaa.

Now its obvious people do celebrate it otherwise it wouldn't actually been seen as a holiday (I find it ironic that it starts the day AFTER Christmas).

I don't know much about it other than that it started in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement. Its supposed to replace Juneteenth (I think that has something to do with slavery). Its supposed to be an uplifting holiday for blacks and to celebrate african heritage.

I have my bouts with hating Christmas (at least the consumer part of it), my mom and I haven't bought a big (but fake) tree for the house since i was in elementary school. At the most my mom has a small tree that can be plugged up and lights up. We don't even do gifts.

In fact the stuff we by ourselves out of temptation during Nov. and Dec. is our gifts really...

The most we really do is eat dinner and watch Christmas programming throughout the month (its not like we really had a choice anyways).

But I much prefer to celebrate Christmas over Kwanzaa. In fact that seems to be the major consensus for most blacks for that matter.

I don't know anyone that celebrates it and those that do can probably count on one hand, unless they themselves celebrate it.

The criticisms of Kwanzaa:

1. Majority of black people are Christians...and by that logic they are going to celebrate Christmas (as mentioned, its probably not coincidence that Kwanzaa starts AFTER Christmas). It doesn't matter if its the consumer Christmas or the true meaning of Christmas (the birth of Jesus).

2. Its NOT a holiday celebrated in Africa. So Kwanzaa is celebrating African American culture in African ways (such as the color scheme and wardrobe and even some of the language) but the problem is that in Africa there are several countries, and tribes who probably have their own African celebration, so Kwanzaa looks kinda cheesy when you look at it that way.

3. The premise of the holiday is fitted in the wrong time of the year really. The theme and point of the holiday shouldn't necessarily fall in February, but in December/Janurary just does not fit for this holiday. In fact I think it only fell in that time period for 2 reasons only.

• To start it after Christmas, so this way they can get Christians to join because well, I doubt blacks are going to join something that forces them to compromise their beliefs, remember, most blacks are often devoutly religious (just look at Gospel churches).
• Winter break falls between that time, and the holiday is supposedly from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Coincidence? It falls in a time where people may not be at work or school, why? Because any other time, it won't be observed nationally. There would be no allowance for time off (sorta like with how non-Jewish places do not observe Hanukkah for the most part).

Essentially, white america views this holiday as fake. Now even though I do not care at all for the holiday and find it kinda pointless, if people want to celebrate it, thats their right. For some it is a part of their cultural heritage. I personally prefer Christmas (heck even Hanukkah and I am nowhere close to being Jewish) because of their historical purposes. There isn't much of a history for Kwanzaa...my mom is older than it, and I am not joking.