Celebrating the holiday season with your family is always an opportunity to try new traditions and activities. After all, the holidays offer a perfect time to learn about a different culture and holiday that isn’t normally celebrated in the United States. One of the many holidays is Kwanzaa, and if your adopted child is of African descent, you can honor your child’s culture, while learning all about Kwanzaa. What exactly is Kwanzaa? How many days is Kwanzaa? How is the holiday celebrated? What can you do as a family to celebrate?
What is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated annually from December 26th to January 1st. It was founded in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a teacher, author, and activist. Maulana created the holiday for African Americans to celebrate their history and provide an alternative to the dominant holidays in the United States, not to replace Christmas. He also believed that cultural revolution gives a person purpose, identity, direction, and unity. The seven days of Kwanzaa have an artistic focus.
The Seven Days of Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is celebrated in seven days because of the Seven Principles, also known as Nguzo Saba in Swahili. The seven guiding principles are:
1. Umoja (unity): To maintain unity of family, culture, community, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (self-determination): To fully define ourselves in name, self-creativity, and to speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (collective work and responsibility): To work together in order to make our community stronger by helping out with one another’s problems.
4. Ujamaa (cooperative economics): To work together and keep our shops and businesses profitable.
5. Nia (purpose): To restore our community to traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (creativity): To always do what we can to create beauty in our community to make it more beautiful than we found it.
7. Imani (faith): To believe wholeheartedly in our parents, teachers, leaders, and righteousness in struggles and victories.
Along with the seven principles, seven symbols follow along with the principles.
The Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa
Seven meaningful symbols reflect and represent the African culture:
Mkeka (The Mat): Symbolizes tradition and foundation and is used to place the other symbols upon it.
Mazao (The Crops): These are foods of the African harvest and rewards of hard and collective labor. These crops are a variety of nuts, fruits, and vegetables.
Muhindi (The Corn): Symbolizes each of the children in the family and the hope of the future generation.
Kikombe cha Umoja (The Unity Cup): The foundation principle and represents unity. A small amount of water or juice is poured onto the ground to honor the ancestors; family members drink from the cup to show praise and respect for their ancestors.
Kinara (The Candle Holder): Symbolizes the root of the African people and holds the seven candles that honor the seven principles.
Mishumaa Saba (The Seven Candles): The seven candles represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa and the colors of the African liberation movement flag: three red, three green, and one black. One candle is lit for each day of Kwanzaa to honor the families’ yearly accomplishments.
Zawadi (The Gifts): Gifts are given for the labor and love of the parents and the promises made and kept by the children. Gifts can be bought or handmade and express care, build community, and foster growth.
The Feast of Faith
The Feast of Faith, also known as Karamu Ya Imani in Swahili, is a feast that is celebrated on the 6th day of Kwanzaa on December 31st. The feast honors the seven principles of Kwanzaa and celebrates African American families and culture. The meal is served as a potluck community style, and foods include Jolif rice, cornbread, sweet potato pie, Gumbo, Jambalaya, collard greens, jerk chicken, baked macaroni, and buttermilk biscuits, among others. You can have your family prepare the meals together and connect through food while trying some new foods and learning all about the feast of faith.
What Kind of Gifts Are Given?
While gifts are usually given on the last day of Kwanzaa, a lot of people give a gift on each day. Homemade gifts are very popular and meaningful, but you can also buy a gift. Here are some great gift ideas:
African Musical Instruments: Music is a moving way to bring joy and sound to celebrate. African instruments like the Djembe (bongo), Mbira (banjo), Bafalon (xylophone), Bells, Rattles, Harps, Drums, Fiddles, Kakimba (Thumb Piano), and many others! You can even dance to the music, as dance is a creative African expression of joy and unity.
Books About African Culture: Buying and reading books about African culture teaches children about cultural sensitivity while learning something new. You can take the reading as an open opportunity to discuss any questions your child has about their culture and appreciate the diversity of each other’s cultures.
African Clothing: The most popular African clothing, called Kente, is clothing that is brightly colored and has striking patterns.
Handmade Kwanzaa Crafts: There are so many Kwanzaa crafts that you can make with your children or have them get creative on their own. You can make handprint Kinaras, make Kwanzaa flag banners or Kwanzaa paper chains, print out Kwanzaa coloring pages, and create a paper Kwanzaa unity cup, among other exciting crafts to get your family into the Kwanzaa spirit!
African Jewelry: Beaded jewelry is trendy in African culture and uses shells, clay, glass, stone, wood, and bones. The jewelry can be bracelets necklaces, earrings, and rings.
Kwanzaa-Themed Games: Kwanzaa puzzles and board games are a great and fun way to learn about the holiday while connecting as a family.
The Importance of Unity
While Kwanzaa is a holiday all about unity, this also applies to the adoption triad, the adoptive parents, foster parents, adoptees, biological children, birth parents, and anyone who is a positive support within the adoption community. Also like with Kwanzaa, adoption has its own symbol with a triangle intertwined with a heart to show the connection, love, and unity between the adoption triad. If you learn one thing about Kwanzaa, let it be the importance of unity and family. Happy Kwanzaa!
