Candles for Kwanzaa
Which candles go with each of the seven days of Kwanzaa? -- Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

Dr. Maulana Karenga founded the Kwanzaa in 1966 as a seven day festival for African Americans to celebrate their rich heritage of both American and African traditions. A seven-candle holder called a Kinara is set up with one black candle on the center, three red candles to the right, and three green candles to the left.

Day	Date	Principle
1	Dec 26	Umoja (unity)
2	Dec 27	Kujichagulia (self determination)
3	Dec 28	Ujima (collective work and responsibility)
4	Dec 29	Ujamaa (cooperative economics)
5	Dec 30	Nia (purpose)
6	Dec 31	Kuumba (creativity)
7	Jan 1	Imani (faith)

On each day, one candle is lit which represents one of the principles. The black candle is the first to be lit, and represents the unity of African American people. After that you can alternate between the red and green candles. After the lighting ceremony there should be a discussion about the importance of that principle.