HAPPY KWANZAA!
Updated: May 11, 2022
Kwanzaa (first fruits) is an annual 7 day (Dec. 26- Jan. 1st) African American celebration created by Maulana Karenga to celebrate black culture, heritage, and history.
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966, Kwanzaa consists of 7 principles that not only one race of people can celebrate but principles for all.
Each day represents these seven principles.
Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle
A communal dinner is given at the end of the 7 days which is New Year's Day. If you are planning a New Year's Day dinner, incorporate a Kwanzaa table centerpiece and these 7 principles throughout your evening.
Here is a beautiful easy Kwanzaa
table centerpiece display you can create :
Colorful woven mat
Natural bowl or basket
Fill the basket with:
Fresh fruits (ie, oranges, apples) mini dried corn with hush, nuts, and
vegetables (ie,yams, sweet potatoes)
Adding colorful candles, three red on the left, three green on the right, and a single black candle in the center. makes your Kwanzaa display come to life!