One Cascade Family's Kwanzaa Traditions

On a clear but chilly day, Southwest Atlanta resident Christine Arinze-Samuel and her family gathered at her home on Benjamin E. Mays Drive to set up their Kwanzaa display.

The retired Atlanta Public Schools educator who goes by the name Olufemi (God Loves Me in Yoruba), has been living in Southwest Atlanta since 1970. Her mother, aunts, her son and his wife and their children all share the Kwanzaa spirit.

Kwanzaa is a holiday celebrated Dec. 26-Jan. 1 across the U.S. and in other countries. It uplifts seven principles: Unity, Self-determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. It is celebrated in homes and community centers.

Every year, Kwanzaa centers around a unique theme; the emphasis this year is on "Sharing Good in the World."

"Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, community and culture, with each providing a context and commitment of common ground, cooperative practice and shared good," Kwanzaa founder Maulana Karenga said in his annual Kwanzaa message.

For Olufemi, the candles, fruit and other items used as symbols of the holiday are important. She plans to gather her family for food and fun, to discuss the meaning of Kwanzaa, and to attend Kwanzaa events.

One of her favorite Kwanzaa principles is Unity, which seeks to "to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race," according to the Official Kwanzaa Web Site. How does Olufemi manifest it in  the southwest Atlanta community? "I shop in the community," said Olufemi, who has a doctorate in education and works as an education consultant in Atlanta.

Another favorite principle is Collective Work and Responsibility. She says that when her sons were younger, they helped a school teacher by doing chores around the teacher's house after her husband had a stroke.

Olufemi heads a group called the National N'Guzo Saba Kollective. She tries to practice Kwanzaa principles all year. For her, Kwanzaa is "a lifestyle, not just a holiday."

For instance, the candle holder (kinara) and other symbols are important as signs of striving to do good in the world. Olufemi says, "I keep my kinara up year 'round."

A Cultural Holiday

Kwanzaa is a non-religious, cultural holiday. The term loosely means "first fruits," symbolizing the joy over good harvests. The holiday has African roots, but was first celebrated among African-Americans in 1966.

The focus is on food, family gathering and community sharing, rather than gifts. Many families celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa.

When celebrated in the home, a family member will light the black candle the first day of Kwanzaa. Each day after, an additional candle is lit, until all seven are lit on the last day. At Kwanzaa gatherings, guests talk about revered family members, past and present, discuss the principle of the day and have children, if present, demonstrate the principle.

Kwanzaa is celebrated in the home by gathering and placing several items on a prominent table including:

Straw Mat. Representing a foundation. The other six items are placed on it.

Candle Holder. Symbolic of African peoples.

Seven Candles. Symbolic of the Seven Principles. Three red, one black in the center, three green.

Fruits and vegetables. Representing harvests and labor.

Corn. Symbolic of children and their future.

Unity Cup. Standing for the idea of unity.

Gifts. Standing for parents' love and children's commitments.

For a personal touch, add family pictures to the setting.

[For more on the Kwanzaa table, go to: http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/symbols.shtml] 

Editor's Note: This story first appeared in Cascade Patch in December 2010.