The Salem witch trials were a dark and tumultuous chapter in American history. Taking place in the late 17th century, these trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. They resulted in the execution of twenty people, most of whom were women. One of the most notorious figures in this tragic event was Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams was just a young girl at the time, but her role in the witch trials was significant. She was one of the main accusers, and her testimony played a crucial role in the conviction of many innocent individuals.
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.
I chose to celebrate as a way to connect with my black culture and other members of my community, and in doing so the principles of Kwanzaa helped shape much of my growth into adulthood. However, others choose not to associate the holiday with him at all and instead make their connections to harvest, faith, family and culture the forefront of their participation.
She was one of the main accusers, and her testimony played a crucial role in the conviction of many innocent individuals. Abigail was known to be manipulative and persuasive, able to convince those around her of the existence of witches and the need for their punishment. It is believed that Abigail's motivations for her actions in the trials were complex.
Column: Celebrating Kwanzaa
The holidays in December are plentiful, and there are many different intersections of practice among Pagans today. Winter Solstice, Yule, and Saturnalia are three of the more commonly referenced in the modern Pagan community at this time. Yet there are other holidays that continue to find their way into the practices of Pagan homes. While some people continue to celebrate Christmas and some observe Hanukkah, Kwanzaa is one of the December holidays that is not often discussed in Pagan circles.
Celebrated over seven days, Kwanzaa is a Pan-African, cultural holiday that celebrates a set of seven principles. The word Kwanzaa was derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which is said to mean “first fruits” in Swahili. The “first harvest” has been celebrated in many African cultures throughout history.
The holiday called Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga. Dr. Karenga was a professor of Black studies at California State University – Long Beach. It is said that Kwanzaa was created as a way to support people of African descent in their attempts to connect to the roots of their culture.
Dr. Karenga’s life has not been without controversy and, for some, this has discouraged participation in the increasingly popular celebration of Kwanzaa. However, others choose not to associate the holiday with him at all and instead make their connections to harvest, faith, family and culture the forefront of their participation.
First, Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture. It is, therefore, an expression of recovery and reconstruction of African culture which was being conducted in the general context of the Black Liberation Movement of the ’60’s and in the specific context of The Organization Us, the founding organization of Kwanzaa and the authoritative keeper of its tradition.
Secondly, Kwanzaa was created to serve as a regular communal celebration to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between us as a people. It was designed to be an ingathering to strengthen community and reaffirm common identity, purpose and direction as a people and a world community.
Thirdly, Kwanzaa was created to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles.)
The seven principles include: (1) Umoja or Unity; (2) Kujichagulia or Self-Determination; (3) Ujima or Collective Work and Responsibility; (4) Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics; (5) Nia or Purpose; (6) Kuumba or Creativity; and (7) Imani or Faith.
Kwanzaa begins on Dec 26 and ends on Jan 1. There is a customary meal on Dec 31 during which families celebrate togetherness. The final day is for reflection and the honoring of the ancestors. Three questions ( Kawaida ) are to be asked on the day of reflection: “Who am I?” “Am I really who I say I am?” “Am I all I ought to be?”
A Kinara, a candle holder for seven candles, is one of the most notable symbols of Kwanzaa. Because the seven candles are lit for each principle, the Kinara is one of most important pieces of the observance.
As many people of all religions grapple with the mesh of secular holidays, religious holidays, cultural celebrations and familial traditions, Kwanzaa should not be forgotten within the realm of December holidays.
Even as the popularity of Kwanzaa grows, mainstream culture does not embrace it as a part of the December festive celebrations and observances. Yet many African-Americans, including Modern Pagans and Polytheists, observe this cultural holiday. In further exploring this intersection, I reached out to several other practitioners that celebrate Kwanzaa to understand their views and experiences.
Connie Jones-Steward
As an African-American, a priestess of the Goddess and a Wiccan, late December is a busy time for me; it is a time when I am celebrating the Winter Solstice, Christmas and Kwanzaa. I adopted Wicca as my religion in my mid-thirties and the Winter Solstice became one of my Holy Days. However as an African American and cultural Christian, Christmas and Kwanzaa have been part of my culture for much longer and I still celebrate them just as my culturally Jewish, yet Wiccan/Pagan, friends still celebrate Chanukah. Therefore I was rather surprised by the question of whether or not African-American Pagans celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is a celebration of the harvest and what could be more Pagan than a Harvest Celebration?
Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday not a religious one. It was never meant to displace or replace Christmas or any other holiday, therefore people of any religion are free to celebrate or observe it. It begins at 12:01 AM on December 26th and ends on January 1st so that it does not compete with Christmas or Yule/Solstice. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966 and interest continues to grow.
Byron Tyler Coles
I celebrate Kwanzaa as a Biracial African-American as to reclaim a social and communal identity that I feel has been lost. As a pan-African celebration, Kwanzaa allows me to reflect upon the shared struggles of the African-diaspora. But more importantly, it allows to me give thanks for the many blessings that we have received and to hope and set intention for a brighter future.
Within my spiritual practices as a Pagan I hold an extremely special place for the honoring of my Ancestors, particular those who are directly related to me, grandmother-grandfather, great grandmother – great grandfather, and so forth. Whereas Kwanzaa is a fairly secular holiday, I place heavy spiritual meaning behind the pouring of libations as to give thanks for my ancestors continued guidance and wisdom. I also find myself pondering about what life will be like for generations to come, especially in these historical moments within the United States.
While Kwanzaa is both a time to reflect back on our labor and to give thanks for our current blessings, I light the Mishumma Saba as to set intention that the world will one day operate on the principles of Unity, Cooperative Economics, and Faith.
Lisa Bland
I celebrated Kwanzaa more when I was a young girl, and as a university student. I chose to celebrate as a way to connect with my black culture and other members of my community, and in doing so the principles of Kwanzaa helped shape much of my growth into adulthood. Now, as I start my own family, a biracial mother with a biracial child, it is crucial that she understands her heritage, and the cultures that are a part of who she is. As she grows I want her to understand the importance of Kwanzaa from a cultural and historical perspective, and also have the choice to incorporate it’s values into her life.
I started officially celebrating Kwanzaa in 2013, making a homemade Kinara and going through the process of beginning to learn the seven principles. Within my personal journey, Kwanzaa filled a void in my practice that was not complete with solstice/Yule or secular Christmas celebrations alone. Cultural celebration, ancestral ties and identity are a large part of spiritual connectivity, which is why Kwanzaa remains important in my own life.
One of my motivations, besides my own cultural enrichment and connectivity, was the hopes that I would be able to support my children in understanding the beauty and richness of their ancestral culture. If all we are fed are social messages telling us we are bad, it takes intentional learning and exploration to counteract that. Purposeful cultural enrichment has the ability to enhance a connection to self and to a place in the world.
As a non-religious cultural observance, Kwanzaa can compliment many variations of Pagan practice by including ancestral reverence and honoring the harvest, while also allowing spiritual choice. It is also one of the few holidays created by and for those of African descent to reclaim and restore cultural heritage, understanding, pride and awareness.
So if you see one of your African-American Pagan friends with a Kinara lit in their home in the month of December, it is perfectly fine to wish them a Blessed Kwanzaa.
More on Kwanzaa:
Sweet Honey in the Rock sings a wonderful, powerful song about the principles of Kwanzaa.
The views and opinions expressed by our diverse panel of columnists and guest writers represent the many diverging perspectives held within the global Pagan, Heathen and polytheist communities, but do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wild Hunt Inc. or its management.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.
Filed Under:
About Crystal Blanton
Crystal Blanton writes the monthly TWH column. She is an activist, writer, priestess, mother, wife and Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the California. She has published two books "Bridging the Gap" and "Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World," and was the editor of the anthology "Shades of Faith; Minority Voices in Paganism." She also writes for the magazine Sage Woman.
I celebrated Kwanzaa more when I was a young girl, and as a university student. I chose to celebrate as a way to connect with my black culture and other members of my community, and in doing so the principles of Kwanzaa helped shape much of my growth into adulthood. Now, as I start my own family, a biracial mother with a biracial child, it is crucial that she understands her heritage, and the cultures that are a part of who she is. As she grows I want her to understand the importance of Kwanzaa from a cultural and historical perspective, and also have the choice to incorporate it’s values into her life.
Some argue that she was genuinely afflicted by fear and paranoia, driven to accuse others as a means of protecting herself. Others believe that she used the hysteria surrounding the trials to gain power and control over those around her. Regardless of her motivations, Abigail's impact on the outcome of the trials cannot be ignored. While Abigail was successful in her accusations, her reign of terror eventually came to an end. As the trials drew to a close and public opinion shifted, Abigail's credibility began to crumble. Her own actions and inconsistencies in her testimonies were called into question, and doubt was cast on the guilt of those she had accused. Eventually, the hysteria dissipated, and the trials ended. The Salem witch trials are a haunting reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the consequences of unchecked power. Abigail Williams, though just a young girl at the time, played a significant role in this dark chapter in history. Her actions, whether driven by fear or malice, had a lasting impact on the lives of many innocent individuals. The story of Abigail and the witch trials serves as a cautionary tale, a reminder of the importance of critical thinking and the danger of allowing fear to cloud judgment..
Reviews for "Abigail Williams: The Catalyst of Chaos in the Salem Witch Trials"
1. John - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with this book. I was expecting a comprehensive history of the Salem witch trials, but instead, it seemed to have a narrow focus on Abigail. While Abigail is an interesting character, I felt like the book barely scratched the surface of the overall history and context of the trials. I would have preferred a more balanced approach and a broader examination of the events and the people involved.
2. Sarah - 1 star - This book was a waste of my time and money. The author claimed to focus on Abigail, but it felt more like a fictionalized account of her life rather than a factual history of the Salem witch trials. The author seemed to take too many liberties in depicting Abigail's thoughts and actions, which made the whole book feel more like a work of fiction rather than a credible historical account. I was really hoping for a well-researched book, but this was a huge letdown.
3. Robert - 2 stars - I found this book to be too biased in its portrayal of Abigail. While she is undoubtedly a central figure in the Salem witch trials, the book seemed to present her in a sympathetic light, almost absolving her of any wrongdoing. I would have preferred a more objective analysis of her role and actions, highlighting both her strengths and her flaws. This one-sided perspective undermined the credibility of the book for me.
4. Elizabeth - 1 star - I was completely unsatisfied with this book. Not only did it focus disproportionately on Abigail, but it also lacked depth and analysis of the Salem witch trials as a whole. The chapters felt disjointed and didn't flow cohesively. It read more like a collection of random anecdotes rather than a comprehensive examination of the events. I was left wanting more information and a deeper exploration of the social, cultural, and political factors surrounding the trials. This book fell short of my expectations.
5. Michael - 2 stars - While I appreciate the attempt to shed light on Abigail's role in the Salem witch trials, this book felt repetitive and lacking in substance. The same information about Abigail was repeated ad nauseam, without much new or insightful analysis. I expected a more in-depth exploration of her motivations and actions, but instead, the author merely regurgitated the well-known historical accounts without offering any fresh perspective or interpretation. Overall, I found this book to be repetitive and dull, failing to provide any new insights into the Salem witch trials.