Kwanzaa Kinara Presented to City of White Plains, Celebration Planned
Petra Thombs of the White Plains Unitarian Church and head of the Kwanzaa Collaborative, a group of churches and community organizations dedicated to educating and raising awareness about Kwanzaa presented the City of White Plains with a Kinara last week, which will become a part of the annual holiday display at city hall.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a college professor, author and scholar-activist who stressed the need to preserve, continually revitalize and promote African American culture. Its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name.
The kinara is the candleholder used in Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States. During the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa, seven candles are placed in the kinara – three red on the left, three green on the right, and a single black candle in the center. Kinara is a Swahili word meaning candleholder.
The seven candles represent the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. Red, green, and black are the symbolic colors of the holiday.
During the week of Kwanzaa, a new candle is lit on the kinara each day. The center black candle is lit first, and the lighting alternates between the red and green candles beginning with the outermost red candle and moving towards the center. In this way each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the contemplation of one of the Seven Principles.
Each of the candles also has a meaning. The black candle symbolizes African race, red stands for African bloodshed, and green stands for the land of Africa.
A Kwanzaa celebration will be held on Monday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m. at Thomas H. Slater Center, 2 Fisher Court, White Plains. The program includes Traditional Drumming by Kofi, Sankofa Dance & Drum Ensemble, and performances by YWCA GEMS, White Plains Youth Bureau, H.I.P. H.O.P., and the White Plains Steppers. A free cultural potluck dinner will be provided by ShopRite following the program.
This year the fifth Kwanzaa principle, Nia, or Purpose is being celebrated. The focus is to create a collective vocation to build and develop the community in order to restore African American people to their traditional greatness.
For more details, go to www.wpkwanzaa.com.
