Kwanzaa is coming! (It runs from December 26, 2023- January 1, 2024) According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture,
Kwanzaa is a time of learning, family and celebration.
During the week of Kwanzaa, families and communities come together to share a feast, to honor the ancestors, affirm the bonds between them, and to celebrate African and African American culture. Each day they light a candle to highlight the principle of that day and to breathe meaning into the principles with various activities, such as reciting the sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, reciting original poetry, African drumming, and sharing a meal of African diaspora-inspired foods. The table is decorated with the essential symbols of Kwanzaa, such as the Kinara (Candle Holder), Mkeka (Mat), Muhindi (corn to represent the children), Mazao (fruit to represent the harvest), and Zawadi (gifts). One might also see the colors of the Pan-African flag, red (the struggle), black (the people), and green (the future), represented throughout the space and in the clothing worn by participants. These colors were first proclaimed to be the colors for all people of the African diaspora by Marcus Garvey.
Looking for places to celebrate Kwanzaa? We’re rounding up some favorites across the state! Keep watching as we add to the list all season long.
- Dec. 8: Kwanzaa Celebration at UCONN Storrs
- Dec. 16: Community Kwanzaa Celebration at the Artists Collective
- Dec. 26: Kwanzaa in New London – Merry Days, Jolly Nights
- Dec. 29: Afro Hrs 2nd Annual Kwanzaa Karamu (located in Springfield, MA, but it looks so cool that I had to include it)
- Dec. 29: Kwanzaa at Norwalk’s Stepping Stones Museum
- Dec. 30: Kwanzaa at Stamford’s Ferguson Library*
- Dec. 30: Kwanzaa Festival, Hartford Public Library*
