Celebration of Kwanzaa focuses on “seven principles”

December 14, 2006
By Greta Sproul

 With all of the high profile activity and glamour surrounding Christmas, NAACP president emeritus Jim Varner is doing all he can to make sure that the African-American holiday known as Kwanzaa doesn’t become lost amid the glittering mounds of tinsel. As part of his effort to keep the Kwanzaa fires burning, Varner, who lives in Old Town, will be speaking at the NAACP’s celebration of Kwanzaa to be held this weekend.

            “Kwanzaa is an African word that means ‘first’ or, in this case, ‘first fruits’,” he said. “It’s a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest that has come to us from our ancestors in Africa. The original spelling was K-w-a-n-z-a. Black American schoolchildren added the extra ‘a’ as a way of saying that ‘this is a part of us, too.’”

            Like many African-Americans who observe the seven day celebration of Kwanzaa, Varner acknowledges that it is not so much a holiday as it is a way for people of color to reaffirm themselves as members of a community. Kwanzaa was first established in this country 30 years ago, when a graduate student named Maulana Karenga created it as a counterbalance to the Watts Riots that ripped apart Los Angeles’ black community in 1965. Starting on Dec. 26 and continuing on through Jan. 1, Kwanzaa is an opportunity for African-American families to reclaim a part of their heritage that transcends geography, cultural mores, and lifestyle.

            To celebrate Kwanzaa properly, Varner says, there are a few items that the celebrant needs to gather and place in the appropriate location. These items include the “kinara,” the candle-holder in which burn the seven candles that represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa, an ear of corn, whose kernels and stalk represent the children produced by the father, and the “mkaka”, the straw mat on which all of the other items are placed.

            Varner also uses a tri-colored African flag as part of his lay-out, with each color symbolizing an important aspect of African cultural history.

            “The black is for the color of our skin,” he said. “The green is for the earth, our mother. And the red is for the blood that has been shed and for the children.”

            Similarly, the candles used for the observance of Kwanzaa are also black, green and red. A candle is lit every day, just as in the eight day celebration of Hanukah, until by the end of the Kwanzaa week, all six candles are burning brightly. Along with the lighting of the candles, families share special foods, drinks, and presents.

            But the most crucial element of Kwanzaa for Varner is the spiritual teaching that it represents and was designed to pass on to successive generations of African American families.  That teaching is embodied in the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or “Nguzo Saba”, which despite their African names, are closely related to spiritual principals found in other spiritual belief systems.  The first principle is “Umoja” or Unity, the second is “Kujichagulia” or Self-Determination, the third is “Ujima” or Collective Work and Responsibility, the fourth is “Ujamaa” or Cooperative Economics, the fifth is “NIa” or purpose, the sixth is “Kuumba” or creativity, and the seventh is “Imani” or Faith.

            “Teaching our children the seven principles of Kwanzaa helps them to realize that they have nothing be ashamed about,” Varner said. “It helps them understand how much the African culture has given the world, even though a lot of that has been blotted out by historians. It celebrates family and community and individual pride.”

            NAACP’s celebration of Kwanzaa at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bangor at 5:00 p.m. Dec. 17. The celebration is free to the public and anyone interested in learning more about Kwanzaa is welcome to attend. For more information, call 827-4493.