How to Celebrate Kwanzaa

7 Ways to Celebrate Kwanzaa

By Claudia Mair Burney

A cultural holiday created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa starts on December 26 and ends on January 1.

Kwanzaa is a time of gathering together to celebrate the African culture, the harvest, and our accomplishments and virtues.

My family spent a decade honoring this tradition and it profoundly nourished our souls. We not only honored our culture, we found unique ways to rejoice in one another. Kwanzaa isn’t meant to stress you; it's meant to inspire you to remember who you are.

Here are seven ways that correspond with the seven principles of Kwanzaa that any busy family can celebrate without a lot of time, money, or effort.

Claudia Mair Burney is the author of novels "Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White" and "Wounded: A Love Story", as well as the "Amanda Bell Brown Mysteries" and "The Exorsistah" series for teens.

Unity: Gather with Family and Community

So much good can happen around a table. Eating together is a revolutionary act today when so many of us are preoccupied by televisions in our own rooms, video games, and a multiple to-do lists. Cook soulful food by emphasizing fruits, veggies, and legumes that recall agricultural harvests, or prepare African dishes.

Still, the food itself is not what’s most important; what’s important is that you’re spending time together as a family. Some years my family sat in the living room while the seven candles flickered on the mantle. All we did was talk, dream, and strategize. Take solace in each other, use the time to remember your unity and your commonality. And give thanks.

Self-Determination: Tell Inspiring Family Stories

To counter negative media images of African-Americans, talk about the heroes and sheroes of the African culture and the exploits of the strong men and women in your families. Because African Americans share a rich oral tradition, you may find your family abounds with inspiring tales.

My husband and I stress to our children during Kwanzaa that nobody gets to decide who they are but themselves and God. To fortify this message, we tell stories about my great-grandmother, Amanda Bell Brown. She gave my family a sense of who we are and who we can be despite obstacles in our paths. You can also share the inspiring stories of historical figures such as Harriett Tubman or Dr. Benjamin Carson.

Cooperative Economics: Create Memories Without Money

Use the talents you have to enrich others with something positive. If you have trouble affording, or even finding, the candleholder, improvise.

You can sit together for a Kwanzaa meal at McDonald’s and make memories by sharing the seven principles--you don’t need a fancy dinner. For a few years, finding the black candle eluded me, so I used a gold candle in the center of the kinara instead, and it was lovely.

One year, I had no fresh corn or Indian corn for my display, so I pulled a few cans of creamed corn from the pantry! Build your family up by doing what’s best for them, with your budget, resources, and time constraints in mind. It beats doing nothing at all.

Purpose: Begin a Healing Process

Develop the community to restore people to traditional greatness. Personally, my expression of this principle has been very open and limitless. Everything my family does to celebrate Kwanzaa is about restoration.

One sad year, I had a stillborn child. In the following grace-drenched year, full of life lessons, I conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby girl. I named her Nia Grace. She taught me much about God's love and mercy. “Nia” is the Kiswahili word that represents the Kwanzaa principle for purpose and “Grace” is God's unmerited favor. My child’s name means, “Your purpose was grace.” She is one of my best Kwanzaa gifts ever.

Creativity: Bring Cheer to Someone Else

Always do as much as you can to leave the community more beautiful than you inherited it. There are so many ways to make the world a better place. Inspiring someone to the highest good spreads beauty. So do acts as simple as cleaning houses and preparing thoughtful, wonderful meals for others.

Once, when my husband Ken and I had very little money for gifts, he served me fresh strawberries with an Adinkra symbol (which means “except for God I fear none,”) drizzled in chocolate on the plate. Drawing in chocolate elevated the experience to something exquisite. Other years, Ken and I produced several copies of a Kwanzaa memory book to give other families and a series of Kwanzaa greeting cards. These projects didn’t make us rich, but they enriched us. You can take this principle of creativity in any direction that pleases you.

Faith: Share Your Traditions with Others

Believe with all your heart in other people and the victory of our common struggle. As you celebrate Kwanzaa, bring your zeal and share your knowledge, traditions, and expressions of spirituality. Make Kwanzaa deeply personal and inclusive, opening yourself to share it with people of different faiths. I love that Kwanzaa lends itself to whatever faith you wish to bring to it.

This year, my family will celebrate Kwanzaa together with another family that isn’t African-American. Karenga purposely made Kwanzaa a cultural holiday. It was never meant to replace any of the religious holy days that occur around the same time. Believe with all your hearts in God. A scripture I take comfort in says, “With God all things are possible.” Kwanzaa has plenty of possibilities, too!