kwanzaa

Does anyone here celebrate Kwanzaa? I work at a child care and we wanted to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. I just want to hear from people that celebrate this, what special things they do. I want to make sure we celebrate it right. I read that it can be celebrated by a big feast so we were going to have a big feast one day when all the kids are here. What else should we do? And what foods are traditional for this celebration?

I celebrate.
I celebrate within a community though. Usually we start with the drum line. And the greeting+whatever day it is. Example Leader: "HABARI GANI!" response: "JAMBO"
then the black national anthem
then we do libations to our forefathers (ashe, ashe, ashe)
then dancing, eating whatever

Quoting Ꭶwan♥Nemö:" I celebrate. I celebrate within a community though. Usually we start with the drum line. And the greeting+whatever ... [snip!] ... "JAMBO" then the black national anthem then we do libations to our forefathers (ashe, ashe, ashe) then dancing, eating whatever"

what is habari gani and jambo mean? What is a libation? Sorry I don't know what any of this means and I want to teach them the right thing.

Quoting *Cade*Mak*Col*:" what is habari gani and jambo mean? What is a libation? Sorry I don't know what any of this means and I want to teach them the right thing."

Habari Gani (Ha-bar-ee Gah-nee) means "What the news?!" You can also say "Jumbo" (pronounced as its spelled) which means "hello"
The response is whichever of the Nguza Saba (7 principles) you are on:
"habari gani!"
"UMOJA!"

December 26th--Umoja (oo-MO-jah) means Unity of the family, community and race
December 27th--Kujichagulia (Koo-gee-cha-gu-lia) mean Self Determination. define create and speak for yourself
December 28th--ujima (oo-gee-ma) Work and responsibility. maintain our community. Your problems are my problems, solve them together
December 29th--Ujamaa (oo-jah-mah) cooperative economics. Entrepreneurship
December 30th--Nia means Purpose. restore our people to traditional greatness
December 31st--Kuumba (Koom-bah) Creativity. do what we can to leave our community beautiful with the arts. drama, music, art
january 1--Imani (EE-mon-EE) mean Faith. believe in our people and the victory of our struggle.

on each of these days you have to do something that teaches on the principles.
You light one candle on the kinara (candle holder) every day, kind of like a mennorah
pouring of libabtions is pouring water in a plant for each of our fallen fore fathers

when pouring libations its to signify how history has helped us grow. So we pour libations (water) in a plant. the leader say something along the lines of:

"for my great great great grandfather who toiled the land with a whip upon his back, we say ASHE (ah-shay)"
communal response "ASHE!"
*pours libations into plant*

a lot more happens but thats just a ceremony that sticks out.