INDIANAPOLIS — Thursday marked the first night of Kwanzaa, a holiday largely celebrated by African Americans to honor and connect with African heritage.
An annual gathering in the Circle City brought dozens together to celebrate.
“Kwanzaa comes from a harvest celebration from West Africa,” said Sibeko Jywanza, a member of the Indianapolis Kwanzaa Committee.
They’ve put on the celebrations for more than 45 years.
On Thursday, dozens of Hoosiers packed the Amp at 16 Tech for their annual Umoja Village celebration, featuring performances, arts and crafts, vendors, food, and a tribute to elders who’ve passed away.
“With us being here in America, particularly Black people in America, that diaspora feeling of being connected to those who have similar experiences — a similar lineage, but don’t necessarily live in the same place,” Jywanza told WRTV.
The holiday is observed for a week and is centered around seven core principles.
“The first is Umoja (Unity), then you have Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith),” Jywanza explained.
For Ian Goens, those traditions are something he wanted to pass down to his two young sons.
“My family all comes to this event year after year, so I thought it was good to introduce them to Kwanzaa,” Goens said. “We’re teaching him what this is, what the candles mean and how many days there are. We light one each day,” he said.
For West African native Aboubakar Allal, this also holiday means continuing his parent’s legacy by sharing some of his culture crafted through his jewelry.
“Back home I used to do it, so when I come to the United States, I continue doing it,” he told WRTV. “I think this is a good place to come and show this.”
The biggest significance of the celebration is adhering to one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles, by bringing unity to the community.
“We can love each other, we can honor each other, we can respect each other and we can be peaceful about it,” added community activist Shelley Covington, who’s been coming to the celebration for the last five years.
Each day a candle is lit representing a different principle of Kwanzaa.
There will be several free events happening across the city for the week-long celebration.
On Saturday, a story-telling event is happening at the Frederick Douglas Family Park from noon to 2 p.m.
There will also be a Kwanzaa Community festival at the Indiana State Museum from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
