THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512160082
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Morsels
SOURCE: Ruth Fantasia
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
AS HOLIDAYS go, Kwanzaa is in its infancy.
The six-day festival, which begins Tuesday, isn't a religious event but a celebration of the African-American culture, says Angela Shelf Medearis in her book, ``A Kwanzaa Celebration'' (Dutton, 1995, $17.95).
Kwanzaa began about 20 years ago, when Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of African-American history, founded a cultural organization and researched African Kwanza celebrations, Medearis writes. Karenga combined several tribal harvest events, added an ``A'' and created Kwanzaa. Each year the holiday has grown, Medearis writes.
Her book is a thorough guide to the holiday. It includes customs, prayers, the seven principles of the celebration and 100 recipes.
``I wrote this cookbook because I wanted to contribute to a celebration that was created by and for African-Americans,'' Medearis writes. ``I also wanted to pay tribute to the contributions Africans and African-Americans have made to the world as chefs and culinary artists.''
Medearis has achieved her goal. ILLUSTRATION: Photo of bookcover
by CNB