[AnAmericanMother]

But what is harvested in late December? That's no "first fruits" - in Britain that comes right after the reaping, usually in October (but earlier the farther north you go).

Aside from any supposed "pagan" associations, we have direct evidence that ol' Ronnie Karenga made this up out of whole cloth. Doubtless he used any pagan stuff that he heard about or read of, just like that fraud Gardner made up Wicca . . . but at least Gardner was just trying to get a date, not foment Marxist nonsense ...

[tcuoohjohn]

Well if you recall Most of Subsaharan Africa is a subtropical or tropical region and the harvests occur somewhat later than temperate regions.

As to the political agenda of Kwanzaa I leave that to your judgement. The harvest festival is a ubiquitous phenomenon among most cultures and I make no distinctions among them. I have seen them in Korea, Vietnam, Europe, South America and elsewhere. I see little harm in them and they are quasi-religious in nature. There is little correlation between harvest festivals and robbing banks or engaging in rape and pillage that I know of. Though I would gladly entertain any compelling data that you have on the matter.

While Karenga may have made his Kwanza festival out of whole cloth the tradition of harvest festivals is as prevalent in Africa as it is everywhere else. Whatever Karenga's political objective is or was has been subsumed by the general notion of a harvest festival that is particular to those of African heritage.

I don't begrudge any culture or people their Harvest rituals, however contrived or preposterous in my view,simply because they aren't my view and my culture.

I see no harm in it.. I have my own harvest festival called Thanksgiving. As a mackeral snapper of long lineage we add our twang to the event. That is as it should be.

[tcuoohjohn]

Well if you recall Most of Subsaharan Africa is a subtropical or tropical region and the harvests occur somewhat later than temperate regions.

As to the political agenda of Kwanzaa I leave that to your judgement. The harvest festival is a ubiquitous phenomenon among most cultures and I make no distinctions among them. I have seen them in Korea, Vietnam, Europe, South America and elsewhere. I see little harm in them and they are quasi-religious in nature. There is little correlation between harvest festivals and robbing banks or engaging in rape and pillage that I know of. Though I would gladly entertain any compelling data that you have on the matter.

While Karenga may have made his Kwanza festival out of whole cloth the tradition of harvest festivals is as prevalent in Africa as it is everywhere else. Whatever Karenga's political objective is or was has been subsumed by the general notion of a harvest festival that is particular to those of African heritage.

I don't begrudge any culture or people their Harvest rituals, however contrived or preposterous in my view,simply because they aren't my view and my culture.

I see no harm in it.. I have my own harvest festival called Thanksgiving. As a mackeral snapper of long lineage we add our twang to the event. That is as it should be.