2024 Kwanzaa Karamu Feast - featuring Locally Grown, Healthy Foods

It's Kwanzaa Time, that time of year again when your home Kwanzaa Table is adorned with special family traditions resting upon the mkeka, straw mat, with the kinara, centerpiece candleholder of 3 red, one black and three green candles, symbolizing the 7 principles of Kwanzaa, in a pleasing artistic presentation.

The muhindi, ears of corn, symbolizing the children, while an overflowing offering of mazao, fruit and vegetables symbolize the abundance of the harvest. Libation is poured from the unity cup and offered to ancestors. Zawahidi, or gifts, traditionally homemade, reflect promises made and promises kept.

Kwanzaa, a restoration of ancient Pan African Holidays, is a "California Grown" modern adaptation that was a powerful and beautiful response to the 1966 Los Angeles rebellion.

Dr. Maulana Karenga, a master teacher and global scholar, continues to share his fundamental Kwanzaa message as part of the year's end for many global Pan Africans throughout the world.

Kwanzaa is a time to celebrate Pan African culture. As one of the fastest growing global holidays, many celebrants renew connections to our individual family, explore reconnecting to Pan African roots, while affirming connections to community, nation and our Pan African Diaspora.

Our unique Kwanzaa seven-day holiday runs from December 26 through January 1.

Globally, unique local foods at our Kwanzaa Karamu Feast is my favorite part of the holiday. The ingathering sharing locally grown, prepared foods can best speak to the preservation of our ancient Pan African traditions, birth of our unique "California Grown" and restoration of "Matunda ya Kwanza."

May your 2024 Kwanzaa Karmau consider reconnecting deeply in meaningful ways with extended global family friends and the agribusinesses who feed you daily; some are working year round to restore Black Agriculture as the basis of our culture, Habari Gani !!!

Growing, sharing, purchasing and eating locally grown, healthy foods is living Kwanzaa everyday.

Globally, we continue to spread seeds toward a good harvest, Matunda Ya Kwanzaa, our fasting growing holiday, “can we just grow some food?”