Hey Hey good people!! While today is January 1st, the first day of the new year of 2016, it is also the last day of the week long celebration of Kwanzaa in the African American communities here in the United States. Starting on the day of Christmas begins a week long celebration of family, unity and culture. Millions of people participate and/or observe this holiday.
The seven days of observance are each dedicated to a different principle. Day 1- Umoja (Unity); Day 2- Kujichagulia (Self Determination); Day 3- Ujima (Collective work and Responsibility); Day 4-Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics); Day 5- Nia (Purpose); Day 6- Kuumba (Creativity); and Day 7, which is today, Imani (Faith). Everyday of the celebration, people greet each other with the words of Habari Gani, that's Swahili for How Are You? Each of the 7 days a candle is lit from the kinara, which is a traditional candle holder that is to symbolize the roots of many African Americans. Cultural events are held in various places during this observance which contain dance, music, food, drumming rituals and readings.
In honor of the principals of Kwanzaa, I created this journal page, symbolic of the plethora of colors represented by the people, clothing, art and food. The artwork in the image is actually some collaged, stenciled and painted papers created by me and adhered to the page with my Helmar Decoupage and Craft Paste. I ran across a sample of a wooden shade I had, and decided to cut from them, a few small pieces, to create the look of a faux decorative wall hanging. I used my Helmar 450 Quick Dry Adhesive to hold the wooden pieces with straw in placen and to lay down the human face and body images, which consisted of patterned garments and a variance of skin tones for heads.
My kinara shows distressed papers for lit candles that appear to have some dimension, thanks to Helmar Liquid Scrap Dots. The colors of the candles represent the following: Red is for the struggle, black is for the people and green is for the hope for the future.
The seven days are represented by these seven candles (Mishumaa Saba). I hope you enjoyed this journal page on the celebration of Kwanzaa as much as I did creating it for you! Begin the New Year off right, with some old traditions and some new, whatever the case make sure not to forget to bring the Helmar Glue! ::giggles:: Looking forward to the NEW YEAR with YOU and HELMAR!
