Kwanzaa lasts seven days — starting on December 26 and ending on January 1. The sixth night, which falls on New Year’s Eve, begins with the lighting of the black candle to symbolize the sixth Kwanzaa principle — kuumba. Kuumba symbolizes creativity, and the sixth night of Kwanzaa is without a doubt creative, (via Praise Indy).
Besides the celebration of this principle, the sixth night also features the Kwanzaa Feast, otherwise known as Kwanzaa Karamu. For this feast, families invited loved ones and friends into their homes, decorated with Kwanzaa decorations, Pan-African decor, and music. There also may be some passage reading and plays to exemplify the kuumba (creativity). At the beginning of the feast, all of the guests drink from a unity cup that symbolizes an acknowledgment of the ancestors, notes Praise Indy.
At the end of the Karamu, the eldest member reads the Tamshi La Tutaonana — a farewell statement to the year and the closing of the Karamu, says Praise Indy.
Source link
