8 Ideas to Celebrate Kwanzaa in 2020

Kwanzaa incorporates the values and practices that African American families should strive toward. Founded during a time of significant racial division, the holiday is intended to assist Black families in looking to the future, with hope.

1. Spend time reading up on Dr. Maulana Karenga, PhD, to learn more and discover the origins of this seven-day celebration.
According to Karenga, the community's duty is "to know our past and honor it; to engage our present and improve it; and to imagine a whole new future and forget it in the most ethical, effective, and expansive ways."

2. Discover what the symbols of Kwanzaa mean by learning the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Each night a candle is lit to celebrate one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Umoja, or unity; kujichagulia, which is self-determination; ujima, which means collective work and responsibility; ujama, giving back to the community; nia, which is your individual purpose; and kuumba, fostering a sense of creativity.

What items are needed to celebrate Kwanzaa?
3. Begin gathering the traditional Kwanzaa items you'll need to celebrate. Now is a great time to get your Kwanzaa table ready for the celebration.
In Swahili, the mkeka is a traditional straw mat on top of which families place the kinara, or candleholder. The kinara holds three green candles to represent hope for a happy future and three red candles to remind African Americans of the challenges they've faced throughout history. The center black candle represents the African American people.

4. Seek out and buy from Black-owned farms and businesses in your area to help complete your Kwanzaa table.
Implement the fourth principle of Kwanzaa, ujamaa, by supporting Black-owned businesses. The traditional Kwanzaa table includes fruits and vegetables, or mazao. This represents the harvest and working together toward a common goal. African American families also include harvest corn, muhindi in Swahili. They also place ears of corn on the mkeka to represent each child in the family. Each of these components can all be found at a Black-owned farm near you.

There truly is no wrong way to celebrate Kwanzaa. Depending on your family dynamic, there are myriad ways to incorporate the seven principles. While the specifics will vary between families, the unifying theme of reflection, hope, and personal responsibility remain.

Katherine Shorter has been celebrating Kwanzaa with her family for several years. "It's important to stay connected to our cultural roots, and it helps us to reset for excellence for the new year," she told Mom.com.

5. Incorporate Kwanzaa as a special way to reconnect with your spouse.
One important way couples can implement the principles of Kwanzaa is as a means of strengthening their marriage.

Shorter provides a unique spin on the Kwanzaa celebration as it pertains to marriage. She also offers a free e-book, Principles of Kwanzaa for a Beautiful Relationship, for couples looking to do the same in their own relationships. "In addition to acknowledging the cultural and historical significance of the holiday, we use the principles to help grow and strengthen our marriage year-round," she explained.

6. Celebrate Kwanzaa with a new tradition: the virtual Zoom call.
Traditionally, on the last day of Kwanzaa, families come together to celebrate during a feast called karamu. However, with COVID-19 cases on the rise, Kwanzaa 2020 may look different this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends families avoid gathering with extended family outside of their own households. Families can, however, get together virtually with a socially distant karamu celebration on Zoom.

Involving children in the celebration of Kwanzaa is a great way to create lasting memories. It builds family traditions that will last for years to come. With so much to see and do during the weeklong festivities, celebrating Kwanzaa is the perfect way to ring in the new year.

7. Creativity or kuumba is the sixth principle of Kwanzaa, and what better way to get creative than crafting with kids.
Activity Village has fun Kwanzaa crafts for preschoolers like this handprint kinara or this corn on the cob bubble wrap activity.

8. Read Kwanzaa picture books and include activities to help kids learn more about this special weeklong celebration.
Whether your family celebrates Kwanzaa or not, having diverse bookshelves is imperative to raising inclusive children. This year, in our home we've created a picture book Advent calendar that includes books that celebrate religions and cultures different from our own. We've also hidden winter-holiday-themed rocks around our neighborhood.

Add some diversity to your holiday season by sharing these Kwanzaa books with your children:

Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford — A little girl discovers that despite not having the perfect Kwanzaa celebration at first, she's still able to recognize the Kwanzaa tradition and principles to make it a special time for her family.

The Story of Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington — This book explains the Nguzo Saba; seven principles of Kwanzaa to children on a first through fifth grade level._ _

Now more than ever, Kwanzaa in 2020 will have special meaning to help bring the African American community together in a year that has been full of hardship for so many.