{"id":40339,"date":"2020-11-27T09:18:06","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T17:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/?p=40339"},"modified":"2020-11-27T09:18:06","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T17:18:06","slug":"kwanzaa-colors-and-how-to-use-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/kwanzaa-colors-and-how-to-use-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Kwanzaa Colors: What Do They Mean and How To Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Looking to explore the beautiful colors of <\/span>Kwanzaa <\/span>and learn how to use them in your next <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span>-inspired design projects? You\u2019ve come to the right place! But before jumping into <\/span>Kwanzaa colors<\/span>, let\u2019s go over the <\/span>history of Kwanzaa<\/span> to offer some background and better context.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The name <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> originates from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya <\/span>kwanza<\/span>,” which means “first fruits of the harvest.\u201d <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> is a relatively new celebration honoring African-Americans and celebrated by millions of people in African communities around the world. This holiday was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a black nationalist, and professor of Pan-African studies at California State University, Long Beach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, community, and culture. While not a religious holiday, <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> is a cultural observance that can be celebrated together with Christmas or any other religious holiday. In fact, many African-Americans celebrate both <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> and Christmas simultaneously. <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> is observed from December 26th to January 1st. Celebrations often include singing and dancing, storytelling, poetry, gift exchange, African drumming, and feasting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kwanzaa<\/a><\/p>\n

At the heart of <\/span>Kwanzaa <\/span>are seven guiding principles, each representing seven values of African culture that reinforce community among African-Americans. Each day, a candle is lit on the candle holder, and a principle is discussed with family and friends. Participants celebrate the end of the holiday with a day of reflection and recommitment to the seven principles, as well as other cultural values. The proper greeting for <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> each day is “Habari Gani?” meaning “What’s the news?” for which the core principles form the answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Seven Principles\n<\/span><\/h2>\n

These seven principles (or Nguzo Saba) are said to have been the building blocks to creating strong, productive families and communities in Africa. <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Umoja<\/b>: Unity<\/span><\/p>\n

Umoja means building and maintaining the family unit, community, nation, and race.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Kujichagulia<\/b>: Self-Determination<\/span>
\n<\/span>This means defining yourself, speaking for yourself, and making choices for the good of the community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Ujima<\/b>: Collective Work and Responsibility<\/span>
\n<\/span>Ujima means building and maintaining your community as one and coming together to solve one another\u2019s problems within the community.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Ujamaa<\/b>: Cooperative Economics<\/span>
\n<\/span>This means building shops and stores within the community and supporting businesses that care about the community and being able <\/span>to profit from them together.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Nia<\/b>: Purpose<\/span>
\n<\/span>Nia means setting collective goals of building and developing the community to restore people to their traditional greatness.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Kuumba<\/b>: Creativity <\/span><\/p>\n

Kuumba means creatively doing as much as you can to make your community more beautiful and beneficial than you inherited it.<\/p>\n

7. Imani<\/b>: Faith<\/span><\/p>\n

Imani means to believe in the people of your community and have faith that a better world can be created for communities now and in the future. <\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The Seven Kwanzaa Symbols<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the <\/span>Kwanzaa<\/span> tradition, there are seven symbols that are beautifully arranged on a table. Each represents the values and concepts of African culture and reflects the building and reinforcement of the community as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n