Day 6 - Kuumba

On Day 6, we celebrate Kuumba

Kuumba - Creativity

During this time we are reminded to always do as much as we can,  and to work hard to ensure our communities are more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.  

On the six day of Kwanzaa the family lights the red candle. This candle is symbolic of struggle- continuous effort and work. The placement and order of the Kwanzaa candles teach and reinforce valuable lessons for the family. The lesson here is that we light the red candle to reinforce the value and priority we place struggle as the method for creating progress.

Day 5 - Nia

Today is the fifth day of Kwanzaa, a celebration of the Kwanzaa principle is Nia.

Nia means Purpose. As we light the green candle in the kinara, it's important to understand what our purpose is. We need a clear understanding on what it means to be committed to building our family and our community. Take this time to reflect on your purpose for your life. 

There is a proverb that says, "The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people".

This means - The destruction of the community/nation starts in home. Therefore, develop strong and productive families. Become a strong and productive member of society. 

Day 4 - Ujamaa

Today is the fourth day of Kwanzaa, a celebration of the Kwanzaa principle Ujamaa - Cooperative Economics. We must address the importance of our economic well being. It's important to understand finances and how we can build our community through cooperative economics.

We will light the red candle today and think of ways to work together. 

Have you heard of the term susu?

In parts of West Africa and the Caribbean an ancient version of cooperative economics exists, called “susu.” is one of the oldest forms of microfinance in Africa, the practice is run by one of Africa’s oldest financial groups, susu collectors.  They run their businesses from kiosks in the marketplace and act as mobile bankers.

Clients make low but regular deposits on a daily or weekly basis over the course of a month into a susu account. At the end of this period the susu collector returns the accumulated savings to the client but keeps one day’s savings as commission. Susu collectors may also provide advances to their clients or rotate the accumulated deposits of a group between individual members.

Today, susu collectors provide many West Africans who would otherwise be denied credit with access to money they need to start up small venture projects that in many cases benefit the community as a whole. In the United States, Black immigrants from the Caribbean have enjoyed one of the highest economic growth rates using a form of the susu and leveraging this practice to establish successful credit unions.

Let's build our community and teach our families the importance of cooperative economics.

Day 3 - Ujima

Today we celebrate UJIMA (oo-gee-ma).

Ujima stands for  - Collective work and responsibility.

During this time we must remind ourselves to build and maintain our community together and identify our sister’s and brother’s problems and assist them by providing a solution. 

In order to celebrate Ujima we must light the green candle next to the black candle (Umoja). As we light this candle, we reflect on our family and our community. If you see our members in our community struggling with something we can offer a resolution. 

We are here to help one another. We need each other more and more each day. Lend a helping hand, encourage one another and above all... love one each other.

There is a proverb that says, "A bundle cannot be fastened with one hand".

The explanation is that, no man is completely self-sufficient.  We have need of each other.

Day 2 - Kujichagulia

Happy Kwanzaa!

Today we celebrate Kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-ah)!

What does Kujichagulia mean?

Kujichagulia in Swahili means Self-Determination.

Self-Determination - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

On day 2 we light the red candle on the kinara. This candle is lit to remind ourselves of our hard work and to continue teaching our community to be productive citizens. We must make sure that we don't forget to reach for the stars and to be the best we can be. Continue to build your community and your families. It's important to achieve your goals and to be successful.

Happy Kwanzaa - Day 1 Umoja

Today is the first day of our seven day celebration. We encourage you to celebrate with Kwanzaa this week. We are excited to celebrate our heritage and our culture. 

Our first principal of the week is Umoja.

Umoja is the Swahili word for "unity".

Umoja - (Unity)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Today we light the black candle on the kinara. While lighting this candle think of ways to continue to strive for unity, oneness with your family and community. It's important to talk with your family and to teach them the importance of working together.

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.
~ Bondei proverb