Title Kwanzaa Celebration Chapter 1 The Invitation Willard could hardly wait for the Christmas break from school. The day after Christmas the Kwanzaa celebrations would begin. Kwanzaa means first fruits in Swahili, the name of ancient celebrations in African history. Willard knew that many African-Americans observed the seven-day holiday in honor of their African heritage. Willard s family always celebrated Kwanzaa, but this year the festivity was going to be a bit different. Inside Willard s pocket was a crushed-up gold envelope. Inside the envelope was an invitation for Mr. Gomez, his teacher. Mr. Gomez was invited to the Kwanzaa Feast, along with all of Willard s relatives. Willard wasn t sure that he wanted Mr. Gomez to come. He wasn t sure that Mr. Gomez would understand the celebration. As Willard walked slowly up to Mr. Gomez s desk, he imagined Mr. Gomez sitting at their dinner table. He would be like one of the family. No one outside his family had ever come to their Kwanzaa Feast before. Willard laid the envelope on Mr. Gomez s desk and hurried to his seat. What was that you put on the desk? asked his friend, Joey Bartlett. Oh, it s just something that my mom wanted him to have, said Willard. What? asked Joey. Willard gave him a wicked look. Chapter 2 The Seven Principles Now, boys and girls, it s time to start class, said Mr. Gomez. All this week in social studies, we have talked about how different cultures celebrate Christmas. Today we are going to look at a holiday that many African-Americans celebrate. Does anyone know what that holiday is? Page 1 of 11
Willard was reluctant to answer. But, slowly, he raised his hand. Willard? said Mr. Gomez. It s Kwanzaa, he said. My family celebrates it. Tell us what you do, said Mr. Gomez. There are seven days and seven nights of celebration, said Willard. We sing songs, read stories, and light a candle each night. Why do you the light candles? asked Joey. Well, said Willard, thinking back to what he was taught, the celebration comes from Africa. The candles stand for seven principles. I know that one is unity. It means that we all have to stand together. I can t remember the others. I can help you out, said Mr. Gomez. There is an African saying, I am we or I am because We are. That saying shows the importance of unity. We must stick together. We stick together as a class. Willard felt pride as Mr. Gomez talked. He now understood why his mama had invited Mr. Gomez to the celebration. The other principles are self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith, said Mr. Gomez. Those African principles are of value for all people. We can all celebrate Kwanzaa. Willard now felt that maybe he could invite all of his friends to the celebration. He could invite Joey. But what if Joey didn t want to come? As Willard was leaving class for lunch, Mr. Gomez said, Thanks for the invitation, Willard. I will give your mother a call. OK, said Willard. By the way, said Mr. Gomez, how big is your family? Willard said with pride in his voice, It s real big. All in one breath he said, My daddy, Mama, my granddaddy, my grandmama, my uncle John, my uncle William... Page 2 of 11
Willard took a deep breath. There are more? interrupted Mr. Gomez. Yeah! said Willard. That is a big family, said Mr. Gomez. I have a big family, too. All of my family is in Mexico. You need to come to the celebration, said Willard. Since you have no family here, my family can be your family. Mr. Gomez smiled. Willard surprised himself. He never thought that those words would come out of his mouth. He felt dizzy. Chapter 3 Start the Celebrations The day after Christmas Willard s mama and daddy started the Kwanzaa preparations. The rhythm of African drums filled the air. Willard helped his daddy put the mkeka (mat) on a low table. It was covered with fruit, nuts, and corn. The kinara, with its seven candles, stood in the center of the table. Red, black, and green flowed through the house. They were the Kwanzaa colors. Mama said, These colors stand for freedom and liberation. Mama showed Willard the seven days of Kwanzaa on the calendar. Each night we will mark the calendar to show that we celebrated Kwanzaa for the day. Each night before supper we will light a candle, said Mama. That night Willard lit the first candle. It was the black candle and it stood for the first principle of Kwanzaa, Umoja (unity). He marked the calendar. Then the family sang songs. December 26 Umoja (ooh-mo-jah) unity On the second day Willard s family celebrated the principle of Kujichagulia (self-determination) where they promised to speak up for themselves. After supper Daddy brought in yarn and beads. The family made bracelets from the beads. Mama pulled out the family album. They looked at pictures of the past. Willard saw his parents when they were babies. He looked just like his daddy. Page 4 of 11
Then Willard lit the black candle, followed by a red candle. He marked the calendar. December 27 Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-lee-yah) self-determination Willard and his daddy spent the third day cleaning piles of snow from the yards of several older people in the neighborhood. Daddy said, This day celebrates the principle of Ujima. It means collective work and responsibility. What does that mean? asked Willard. It is a time to rebuild the community. We must work together to help others. That night, after Willard and his daddy lit the black candle and the red candle, they lit the third candle a green one. Willard marked the calendar. Willard spent the fourth day shopping with his mama. He lagged behind as they shopped for African prints to decorate the house. December 28 Ujima (oo-gee-mah) collective work and responsibility Mama, is Mr. Gomez coming? Willard asked his mother. Until tonight Willard had not talked about Mr. Gomez coming to the feast. Maybe, deep inside himself, he was really hoping that his teacher would not come to the celebration. I haven t heard from your teacher, said Mama, but I m sure he will call. Are there any friends you would like to invite? There are only two more days before the feast. Not really, said Willard. That night, after Willard lit the other three candles, he lit the candle for economic cooperation. It was a red candle. Mama said that this principle was called Ujamaa. Willard marked the calendar. December 29 Ujamaa (oo-jah-mah) cooperative economics Page 6 of 11
Chapter 4 Baking Day Now Willard understood why he and Mama went shopping. They were giving back to the community. In order for the stores to grow, they needed the support of the community they needed people to shop in them. Morning came. It was the fifth day of Kwanzaa. The cooking had started. Wonderful smells pulled Willard out of his sleep. Grandmama was in the kitchen helping Mama. Today is baking day, said Mama. During the day Willard helped with the baking of the chocolate pies, apple pies, and pound cake. He licked the bowls. Willard, called Mama. I want you to take this apple pie over to Mrs. Smith s house. She has no relatives in town. I want her to feel part of our family. The principle today is Nia. It means purpose. We all have a purpose in this world, said Grandmama. On the way to Mrs. Smith s house Willard stopped by Joey s house. In his pocket was a crumpled envelope. Joey answered the door. Hey, Willard, said Joey. Hey, Joey, said Willard. I m inviting you to the Kwanzaa Feast, said Willard. You are? said Joey. Yeah, said Willard. You and your family are invited. Thanks, said Joey. Willard quickly skipped off the porch to Mrs. Smith s house. That night they lit the fifth candle a green one for Nia. Daddy said, Our purpose in life is to help others. The family sang together. December 30 Nia (nee-yah) purpose Page 7 of 11
Chapter 5 The Day of Dance The last day before the Kwanzaa Feast was a day of dance. Before dinner Willard s cousin Jamal came over to teach them dance drumming. He brought his drums with him. Daddy said, Kuumba is the principle of creativity to make our communities beautiful. It was a day of dancing like the wind. Dance was in their every movement. With brown bare feet they swayed. They lifted their heads. Their arms pumped. They wiggled up and down like octopuses fighting the ocean currents. Hips swayed from side to side. Through the drumming there came the squeaks and squeals of delight. They were dancing free and wild. Running back and forth across the room, they moved in the shadows of their African ancestors. After the dance Willard and his cousin lit the candle of Kuumba. It was red. The phone rang. Mama answered. As Willard marked the calendar, he could tell that she was talking to Mr. Gomez. She was giving him directions to their house. December 31 Kuumba (koo-oom-bah) creativity Chapter 6 The Final Day The final day of Kwanzaa came. It was the first day of the new year. Imani means faith, when people thought about the good in others, like their families and communities. Willard knew that Mr. Gomez was coming, but he had not heard from Joey. He did not know if he was coming to the celebration, but he believed he would. They had been friends since kindergarten. They had lived in the same neighborhood all of their lives. Daddy and Willard hung the Kwanzaa flag. The pots on the stove were bubbling. Lively music played. Page 8 of 11
One by one relatives and friends arrived. Every time the doorbell rang Willard ran to the door followed by his mama and daddy. The house was filling up quickly. Some of his relatives were dancing a little. People were whispering, talking, and laughing a lot. While Willard was dancing the drumming dance with his grandmama, the doorbell rang again. He heard his mama say, Come on in, Mr. Gomez. Willard stood still. He couldn t speak or move. His knees felt suddenly wobbly. His stomach began to bounce up and down. Come on, son! said his daddy. Introduce your teacher to the family. Mr. Gomez just smiled and patted Willard s head. Willard was so happy to see Mr. Gomez that he had not noticed that his friend Joey and his family were hanging up their coats. Hey, Joey! he said as he led Mr. Gomez into the family room. I thought you might not come. I wouldn t have missed it, said Joey. Suddenly the music stopped. Daddy came to the center of the room. We are glad that you came. You are all part of our family. Now we will eat. Willard s granddaddy came to join his daddy. They joined hands. Then everybody joined hands. They made a strong chain to hold them close. Bless this family and our friends, said Daddy. Help us to teach others the love of this Kwanzaa holiday. Willard lit the last candle a green one. Then everybody drank fruit juice from the Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup). Page 10 of 11
January 1 Imani (ee-mah-nee) faith Everyone enjoyed the wonderful food. After the meal they each got a gift. Joey gave Willard a gift. Willard gave Joey a gift. There was a lot of hugging, kissing, and vowing to see each other soon. The last ones to leave were Joey and Mr. Gomez. Willard stood with them looking at the seven candles still flickering brightly. A moment of fluttering magic passed among the three of them. It cast a silent glow. Willard knew that they were expected to take the principles of Kwanzaa into the new year. Page 11 of 11
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