Kwanzaa Songs For Everyone

Kwanzaa Songs for Everyone is a unique collection of music and poetry that celebrates the spirit of Kwanzaa. Set to familiar holiday tunes, these songs have all new lyrics and are expressed with a distinctive cultural flavor. The word Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili language and means the first fruits of harvest. It is celebrated during the seven-day period from December 26 to January 1. Kwanzaa is a unique cultural event that pays homage to the past, present, and future of African Americans. It has no religious connotations nor does it attempt to replace or substitute for Christmas, or any religious beliefs or observations. The reason why Kwanzaa came to be is simple: Until the creation of Kwanzaa by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga in 1966, African Americans did not have a specific occasion to universally celebrate our culture. Kwanzaa incorporates African heritage into the festivities of the winter solstice and holiday season. After over forty years, practice, Kwanzaa is now celebrated by millions of people thorough out America, the African Diaspora, and all over the world. The seven principles of Kwanzaa promote family values, cultural enlightenment, and the growth of a cooperative community spirit, collective economic opportunities, community strength, family cohesiveness and progressive individual expression. The ultimate goal of Kwanzaa is that the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles, become a living part of the individual and community until they are practiced every day of the year.

Kwanzaa: a celebration of family, community, and culture.

Every year, for seven days beginning December 26th, African- Americans celebrate their heritage during the Kwanzaa holiday. In this book, you will find recipes for African dishes to make a Kwanzaa feast, and instructions for making masks, African toe puppets, and other Kwanzaa gifts.

Christmas is coming and Max wants Horse Wise to get in the holiday spirit. He announces that they are going to have Secret Santas, but there's a catch: You can't give something; you have to do something. It sounds like fun, until they draw names. Lisa gets Max. Carole gets Lisa. And Stevie gets Veronica. Carole would love to do something for Lisa, but since they already do things for each other all the time, what? Meanwhile, Lisa has a lot of family visiting and they aren't giving her room to breathe--let alone do anything for Max. As for Stevie, she would love to do something to Veronica--but that wouldn't be in the holiday spirit. Suddenly, doing the "right thing" is really hard.

Twenty-eight of today’s top Jewish women writers tell the truth about all the things their rabbis warned them never to discuss in public in this hilarious and provocative collection. Includes original essays on: • Finding (and Divorcing) the Perfect Jewish Man • Not Calling Your Mother • Marrying a German • Failing to Supply Enough Grandchildren • Learning to RSVP No • And many other guilty pleasures... Includes pieces by: Elisa Albert, Aimee Bender, Jennifer Bleyer, Kera Bolonik, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Baz Dreisinger, Pearl Gluck, Rebecca Goldstein, Lori Gottlieb, Lauren Grodstein, Dara Horn, Molly Jong-Fast, Rachel Kadish, Jenna Kalinsky, Cynthia Kaplan, Binnie Kirshenbaum, Amy Klein, Daphne Merkin, Tova Mirvis, Gina Nahai, Katie Rophie, Francesca Segré, Wendy Shanker, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Susan Shapiro, Ayelet Waldman, Rebecca Walker, Sheryl Zohn

This version of the popular holiday song celebrates the culture, heritage, family, and tradition of Kwanzaa.