Happy New Year is oftentimes the first thing most of us will hear, in our respective language of course, at midnight new years morning. Over the centuries new year has held a great significance of some sort world wide, weather it was based on superstition, or celebration of a great year and the welcoming of a great new one. I want to take a minute to look at one that to many Americans is a very important celebration of freedom and their way of life.
For African Americans, New Year's Day has a special significance, and is often called Emancipation Day or Jubilee Day. On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves from bondage, was read in Boston. Today, many African-American families hold "watch services" on January 1. Traditional foods include black-eyed peas, collard greens, ham hocks, and macaroni and cheese. The uniquely African-American celebration, Kwanzaa, continues over seven days starting December 26, so the New Year's celebration is often part of Kwanzaa's way of reconnecting people with their African roots. Kwanzaa began in the United States in the 1960s, and is not celebrated in Africa. This is perhaps one of my favorite facts being that I am American. when I learned about this and how it was part of the Kwanzaa celebration it gave me a whole new respect for Kwanzaa. In a lot of ways Kwanzaa and emancipation day are to the African Americans, just like Hanukkah to the Jewish people. Both holidays are a Celebration of their roots and a time to give thanks for the miracles that had been afforded there forefathers of years gone bye.
Jubilee is a time that we can learn about in the bible. it is a time every 50 years when all property was to be returned and debts forgiven and all slaves and indentured servants were to be freed. there is also parts of the same laws that talk about a year of liberty every 7 years that slaves were to be freed.
Hanukkah is the Jewish celebration of the miracle of the lamp oil that burned for 8 days for the re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem circa 163BC. The Maccabees a family of priests defeated the Greek ruler Antiochus IV to take back the holy temple and upon doing so cleaned and rededicated it to God. The Maccabees priests only found 1 jar of oil for the temple lamp that had to burn all the time day and night. One jar of oil is only enough for one day of use in the lamp, but this jar burned for 8 days. This allowed time for the priests to prepare more oil for the temple lamp, and marked the beginning of Hanukkah, to celebrate the miracle that had taken place in that place at that time.
I am glad to have been able to learn about these things and to share them with you all. To all of the African American people, Happy Jubilee Day and Happy new year to all. I pray a blessing of prosperity for mankind in 2012. Here is to a hope for a world with out any sort of slavery or oppression upon any people for any reason.
Shalom