The greetings
during Kwanzaa are in Swahili. Swahili is a Pan-African language and is
chosen to reflect African Americans' commitment to the whole of Africa
and African culture rather than to a specific ethnic or national group
or culture. The greetings are to reinforce awareness of and commitment
to the Seven Principles. It is: "Habari gani?" and the answer
is each of the principles for each of the days of Kwanzaa, i.e.,
"Umoja", on the first day, "Kujichagulia", on the
second day and so on.
gifts
Gifts are given mainly to children, but must always include a
book and a heritage symbol. The book is to emphasize the African value
and tradition of learning stressed since ancient Egypt, and the heritage
symbol to reaffirm and reinforce the African
commitment to tradition and history.
colors
The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green as noted above and
can be utilized in decorations for Kwanzaa. Also decorations should
include traditional African items, i.e., African baskets, cloth
patterns, art objects, harvest symbols, etc.
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