Bringing the celebration of Kwanzaa to the internet. In 2020, I brought my acknowledging of the first fruits to social media via Instagram Stories—dropping facts & art, ‘lighting’ each candle for each principle, each day of this holiday. I wrote and shared some original poetry during that time too. This year in 2021, I’m challenging myself to dedicate a poem for each day Kwanzaa is celebrated!
Keep reading for a summary of Kwanzaa; learning how to approach the holiday with integrity, get insight on how to pronounce the Swahili words associated with Kwanzaa, and check out my poetry challenge at the bottom of this page.
There’s also music recommendation you must give a listen, or revisit if its been a minute!
The purpose of Kwanzaa is for African descendants across the globe to celebrate, remember and actively work toward the following…
Collectively build and reinforce community through us moving as One.
Being individually filled with desire and firm purpose to achieve what we need by way of effort, skill and courage.
Holding ourselves and each other accountable; for we ARE each other.
To be invested in what one another has to offer that is of benefit for each of us.
Approach Life and all we Do with intention.
Continue to make something out of ‘nothing’ by way of The Creator with what we’re given—cultivate and tend to creation of all forms.
Be filled with complete trust and confidence in our beliefs (what we accept as true) and our actions (what we do).
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration that occurs for 7 days as we enter into the new fiscal year. (December 26 – January 1)
Below you can watch the original Story that was shared on my Instagram page during Kwanzaa of 2020. The content contains timeless facts and art both curated and created by me.
MORE to the Story…
I do not claim ownership of any copy and visuals presented within this Story that are not original to my creations. Any shared art outside of my own credits the creator, and curated content found on the internet to accompany in telling this story can be found in a multitude of Kwanzaa-based resources throughout the web. I highly recommend the Official Kwanzaa Website to add to your research, for it is the inspiration of most Kwanzaa-related content found online.
Honorable Mentions: The Proud Family “Seven Days of Kwanzaa” (2001), Rugrats “A Rugrats Kwanzaa” (2001), Queen Latifah – U.N.I.T.Y. (1993)
What is Kwanzaa?
We keep in mind and respect that African history doesn’t start with slavery, and acknowledge that it’s a wicked subjected experience within history. We keep in mind and respect that African history starts as the inventors of civilizations, speakers of the first human truths, writers of the first texts of human knowledge, and etc…
What do the colors represent?
The colors correspond to what each fundamental truth (principle) represents:
Black = the people
Red = the struggle of the past
Green = the Earth; an abundance of the future’s possibilities
Learn more about Bendera (The Flag) on the Official Kwanzaa website. See: Supplemental Symbols > Bendera (The Flag)
What language are the words represented for Kwanzaa?
The language presented is Kiswahili (kee-swah-hee-lee), a language of some East African countries. Pronunciation of popular terms are given toward the bottom of this page.
More relevant Kwanzaa facts:
The word Kwanzaa comes from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means first fruits. It’s said that the second ‘a’ at the end of the word ‘kwanza’ was added to have a total of seven letters to coincide with the seven principles.
Kwanzaa kicks off by paying respects to our ancestors, those as us who come before us, and collectively take and drink of the chalice (a big cup). Although Kwanzaa is celebrated differently amongst families—singing, dancing, reading of poetry, storytelling, African drums and a large traditional meal is usually how it’s done.
How long is Kwanzaa? When is it celebrated?
Kwanzaa is acknowledged each year for seven days (December 26 – January 1) and there are seven candles that accompany each day. Each individual candle represents a principle and is lit each night prior to discussing the fundamental values that give the principle meaning.
In what order do you light the candles?
Start with lighting the black candle on the 1st day, alternating between the far left red and then the far right green, until return to center. This order of lighting shows coming together, as clarified in the 11th slide of the Story shared earlier, toward the top of this page.
*IMPORTANT*
To remain both respectful and intentional to the commitment of this holiday—making sure to not violate the integrity of the values, symbols and practices associated with the first fruits; it’s wise to treat it as sacred as you would any other holiday or dignified event you acknowledge. Approach Kwanzaa with undivided attention, patience and proper planning; from the objects chosen, art delivered and fresh fruits and vegetables displayed. Keep in mind, any mixing of other cultures takes away from tradition and lessens its significance.
What objects do I need for Kwanzaa?
The shrine/altar (as I see fit to call it) being this is a solemn act that is the communing grounds in celebration of Kwanzaa, is set in a centered area of the home.
Put up a table and place African cloth over it. To represent the roots and connectivity to African culture and the tradition our heritage is built upon, a mat (Mkeka) is placed on top of the cloth and each symbolic object is put on and directly next to it.
The middle of the mkeka supports the seven candles (Mishumaa Saba) and the candle holder (Kinara) those candles are placed in. Next, the unity cup (Kikombe cha Umoja) sits in the center, right in front of the black candle. Then there’s the crops (Mazao)—an assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, and corn (Muhindi) are placed around the base of the kinara.
THERE ARE ALSO SYMBOLS THAT REPRESENT EACH PRINCIPLE, and a definitive written or printed depiction—in physical form—of each principle should be present on the Kwanzaa set/altar. See: Supplemental Symbols > Nguzo Saba Poster on the Official Kwanzaa Website.
Source: (left) Unknown, (right) Official Kwanzaa website
Are gifts given during Kwanzaa? and when?
Traditional gifts, known as Zawadi in Swahili, come in the form of books that promote learning & tradition; along with significant things that highlight heritage symbolism, like African art & colors and symbols within the culture (example: an Ankh ☥ or some type of artifact).
I firmly believe Kuumba (creativity) should always be used when it comes to gifts, no matter the event. Creativity is key with gift giving because it illustrates an individualized sentiment requiring deep thought, consideration and patience. Make or carefully choose something from the heart and give it to someone you Love!
Gifts symbolize the work of parents (+who is giving) and the commitments made by the children (+who is receiving). These are placed closely around the mkeka as well and traditionally exchanged on the last day of Kwanzaa.
Traditionally in Kwanzaa, gifts are for the children. The reinforcement of faithfulness to African history is emphasized here.
There was mention of a BIG traditional meal…
The African feast (Karamu) traditionally occurs on the 6th day of Kwanzaa—the day of the principle Kuumba, prior to Imani on day 7. Food served ultimately is determined by you and your family’s choosing, and access of availability.
Informative and entertaining activities are showcased before and during the meal.
Collard greens and baked macaroni and cheese being served are common. A mix of West African/Caribbean dishes like stews with black-eyed peas being the main star, known as Red Red African stew (serve with plantains and rice!) are a great choice. Or, a groundnut stew where stuff like sweet potatoes, chicken and earthy spices take the lead… Then there’s jambalaya (a mixture of meats, veggies and rice), gumbo (a soupy stew served over rice), catfish, akra/accra fritters (small pieces of fried salt fish traditionally…shrimp or beans as a substitute are known too)…
Look,
The diaspora is spread out, so traditions known to certain areas will have both similarities and differences due to what’s been passed down and remixed to one’s liking and capability, per usual.
Pronunciation
Some of the Swahili terms have been expressed above. Here’s a list of common words surrounding Kwanzaa and how to pronounce them…
The following 7 terms compile as the Kwanzaa Set:
Mkeka (mm-KEK-AH) = the placemat
Mishumaa Saba (ME-SHOOM-MAH SAH-BAH) = the seven candles
Kinara (KUH-NAR-UH) = the candle holder
Kikombe cha Umoja (KEE-KOM-BEH CHA oo-MO-JAH) = the unity cup
Mazao (MAH-ZOW) = the crops
Muhindi (Moo-HEN-DEE) = the corn
Zawadi (ZUH-WAH-DEE) = the gifts
Learn more in-depth about what the 7 symbols listed above mean, through Kwanzaa’s official website.
Keep reading for more Kwanzaa words and their pronunciation…
Karamu ya Imani (KA-RAH-Moo YAH EE-MAH-NEE) = feast of faith
Harambee (HA-RAHM-BEE) = all pull together = working together, helping each other out, to care and share
Matunda ya Kwanza (MA-TooN-DAH YAH kWAN-ZAH) = first fruits
The following 8 terms relate to the principles of Kwanzaa:
Nguzo Saba (ooN-Goo-ZO SAH-BAH) = the Seven Principles
Umoja (oo-MO-JAH) = unity
Kujichagulia (koo-JEE-CHA-goo-LEE-YAH) = self-determination
Ujima (oo-JEE-MAH) = collective work & responsibility
Ujamaa (oo-JAH-MAH) = cooperative economics
Nia (NEE-YAH) = purpose
Kuumba (KAH-ooM-BAH) = creativity
Imani (EE-MAH-NEE) = faith
Every principle Kwanzaa is built on has been essential since the beginning of time. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966, following the Watts riots (1965). This holiday is created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, and the practices derive from West and Southeast African heritage and harvest festival traditions (read more in the photo attached to this text).
Below you can find the music recommendation mentioned at the beginning of this blog post… listen to the album in its entirety when you get a chance.
Start with track 13, Africa Must Wake Up, if you don’t have time to listen in full yet.
Album recommendation: Distant Relatives by Nas & Damian Marley
MORE ART…
This year, in 2021, I’m aiming to challenge myself to write a poem each day in honor of Kwanzaa. The poems are what the Greek call ‘acrostic,’ which means the beginning of each line spells out a specific word or words. Since these 7 poems are Kwanzaa-based, each line for each poem spells out the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles).
Note: I own the words, not the background image(edited by me).
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