Credit: Village of Barrington Hills
Kwanzaa, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, celebrates the African heritage and history within African American culture.
By Kade Heather | Chicago Sun*Times
Kwanzaa, the weeklong holiday celebrating the African heritage and history within African American culture, begins Tuesday.
Barbara Meschino, who has been co-producing Malcolm X College’s Kwanzaa celebrations for almost 20 years, said the holiday brings a “sense of community” to Chicago.
“It brings us together when we think about our families and our communities and our ties to our rich cultural heritage,” Meschino said.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by activist and author Maulana Karenga as a way to reaffirm African heritage and culture, and reinforce the seven principles, which represent the seven days of the holiday.
The seven principles are: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith).
“Those seven principles go for each day of Kwanzaa, but it’s all centered and representative of what we should all live by,” said Sydney Adams, another co-producer of the Malcolm X College celebration.
Celebrations of the holiday include different rituals each day, drumming, dance performances and live music. Seven candles — one black, three red and three green, with each representing one of the principles — are lit one by one each day.
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