Today is the first day of Kwanzaa (Umoja / unity). I am spending the day doing quiet, deep contemplation and reflection. I am thinking about the ingredients that make for quality and meaningful interactions with other humans including peace, love, and integrity. Of course, I'm thinking about and channeling good, warm Kwanzaa vibes a very special someone.
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| Symbols of Kwanzaa: Mkeka (mat), Kinara (candle hlder), Muhindi (ear of corn), MishumaaSaba (seven candles), Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup), Zawadi (gifts) |
Kwanzaa also builds upon the five fundamental activities of Continental African first-fruits rituals, which are as follows:
Ingathering: A time of ingathering of the people...of family, friends and community...in order to reaffirm the bonds between them.
Reverence: A time of special reverence for the creator and creation in thanks and respect for the blessings, bountifulness and beauty of creation.
Commemoration: A time for commemoration of the past in pursuit of its lessons and in honor of its models of human excellence...the ancestors...all the people and actions that have come before.
Recommitment: A time of recommitment to the highest cultural ideals...both personal and communal...in an ongoing effort to always bring forth the best of African cultural thought and practice.
Celebration: A time for celebration of the good...the good life and of existence itself...the good of family, community and culture...the good of the awesome and the ordinary...in other words, a celebration of the good in all its manifestations on the Earth.
It's Kwanzaa Time anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGR1963aezY
I hope you enjoy the song. Since the 80's it's been accepted as the official Kwanzaa theme song. The dynamic husband and wife team (Steve Cobb and Chavanduka) are based in Chicago. The song is designed to appeal to the entire family (young and old).
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