Happy Kwanzaa! A bit about Kwanzaa and how Make your Doll her own Unity Cup.

 Happy Kwanzaa.  Kwanzaa is a holiday that celebrates African-American culture. Kwanzaa lasts for seven days; it starts today December 26th and ends on New Year's Day.
 Kwanzaa began in 1966 by Maulena Karenga, an African-American Scholar and activist/
The word "Kwanzaa" means "first fruits" in Swahili.

Kwanzaa celebrates seven principles ("Nguzo Saba" in Swahili), including:

• Unity (umoja), signified by the gathering of family, friends, and community
• Faith (imani)
• Purpose (nia)
• Collective work and responsibility (ujima) - the commitment to the high ideals of the African community
• Cooperative economics (ujamaa)
• Self-determination (kujichagulia)
• Creativity (kuumba) 

A feast on December 31st is enjoyed by family and friends to commemorate and celebrate family and the history of Africa. 


Families that celebrate Kwanzaa decorate their homes  for the feast with a seven candle holder called a "Kinara", a straw place mat called a "Mkeka, a variety of fruit "Mazao", an ear of corn for each child in the home called "Vibunzi" , a Unity Cup called a "Kikombe cha umoja" as well as a small modest gift for children called "zawaadi"

The candle colors for  the "Kinara" are three green, one black, three red. Each Candle represents  one of the seven principals. I have made a "Kinara"  and "Kikombe" for my dolls to share in this holiday this year. Tomorrows post will show how I made the Kinara. 

A wonderful website with crafts for Kwanzaa is http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/kwanza/  as well as http://www.makingfriends.com/kwanzaa_crafts.htm

Here is how I made my Unity Cup or Kikombe.

To make your own Unity cup from supplies you may have at home for your dolls!
  You will need: 
An egg cup (my dollar store sells 4 for $1.25 or you may have one at home you can use)
Craft Glue or a Glue Gun
Gem Embellishments or gem stickers would also work

 If Kwanzaa is a holiday you celebrate I wish you and your family a very Happy Kwanzaa. 
For today's photos:
Back ground from : American Doll Room
African Fabric from Liese of Doll Tag Designs
Plastic Doll food from my local dollar store
Crafts by Karenmomofthree
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com