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Kwanzaa Party Supplies
In African culture, the celebration of the “first fruit” is extremely important, which is why “Kwanzaa,” meaning “first,” is widely recognized and celebrated in the United States, bringing honor to African heritage. Lasting 7-days (December 26 – January 1), the celebration includes candle lighting ceremonies, the pouring of libations, and a gift-giving ceremony that also serves a feast. Your Kwanzaa party supplies are fairly simple to come by, so if you have been put in charge of planning this year’s celebration, don’t stress out.
Kwanzaa parties are celebrated by millions of African American families each year. As long as you understand what you need to prepare for the party, it will be a hit! Follow these tips and you will be on your way to enjoying your Kwanzaa feast!
Invitations
The invitations you choose should be inviting and warm, friendly and welcoming. You can make your own invitations or choose to purchase them in bulk from a supplier. If you make your own, you have many options as to how to create them, including making them using a computer or by hand.
If you decide not to use a supplier, you should use heavy card stock paper (paper that is thicker and heavier than regular computer or lined paper). Two options you will have in terms of formation are either to fold the paper in half, in thirds, or simply leave the invitation as one sheet.
Having a single-sheet invite makes the reader’s job easier as all the information will be displayed upon opening the envelope. You can also choose to put the image on the front and the information on the back of the card. Either is fine.
Be sure to include all necessary information for your guests, including time, place, and any other special info needed. If it is a pot luck dinner, remind them to bring their favorite main dish to share with everyone. Also, leave enough time between mailing the invitations and the party to let guests respond or plan ahead.
Decorations You Will Need
To start decorating, you will first need to decide what you want your party style to be. Think about how many guests you will have attending, how much space you have to decorate with, and what your budget is for the celebration.
You can begin by finding decorations in traditional Kwanzaa colors: red, black, and green. These decorations can be streamers, banners, family artwork that engulfs the African American spirit, balloons, or any African artwork. Wooden, African candle holders, ceremonial masks and costumes, and other African custom wardrobe pieces can be displayed for the party.
T-shirts, hats, traditional robes, clothes, grilling aprons, and anything else with the African flag displayed are appropriate for decoration. Using tablecloths, plates, cups, eating utensils, napkins, and other decorations that are red, black, or green is suitable for your Kwanzaa party.
Food to Serve
Your Kwanzaa feast should be large, full, and delicious! It should consist of lots of “soul food,” rich and homemade. The following list offers a few suggestions for what foods to make for your Kwanzaa celebration:
• Fried Okra – You need okra, egg, flour, cornmeal, salt, Cajun seasoning black pepper, and vegetable oil or bacon fat.
• Chicken and sausage gumbo with rice – You need olive oil, flour, garlic, celery, onion, green pepper, red pepper, green onion, chicken stock, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, dried thyme leaves, oregano, allspice, cayenne, cloves, hot sauce, and of course, chicken.
• Collard greens are a staple for any Kwanzaa party.
• Coconut biscuits
• Classic cornbread
• Down Home Sweet Potato Pie
• Fresh fruit pies
• Fresh fruit baskets
Your food choices are plentiful and you can create your own recipes if you want, too! If your family has any special recipes it uses for Kwanzaa or any other event, you can use those for your celebration as well. Use the list above as a guideline to help you decide what to serve for your Kwanzaa party. Of course, you can always make the party pot luck, asking everyone to bring their favorite traditional dish or appetizer.
Other Kwanzaa Ideas
For your Kwanzaa party, it is the little details that will really make your party successful. Take special care to find the neatest trinkets and creative details. For instance, you can set each place with a straw or wicker place mat, a bowl of fresh fruit, an ear of corn, a unique cup specific to each place setting, a unity cup for all, and a little gift for each guest. Since Kwanzaa is a celebration of renewal as much as it is for celebrating together and giving and receiving gifts, giving gifts to your guests will be a great way to welcome them to the feast.
You can create name tags for your guests to know where they should sit. These can be small, folded sheets of paper that sit upright by themselves. They can be designed with an ear of corn, the African flag, an African word for “hello,” or any other creative elements that remind the guests of the reason they are celebrating with you. Try making pretend candles out of paper, with little treats inside to give to the children after dinner. They will love it and the candles will make great parts to a centerpiece for the main table.
In your Kwanzaa party supplies list, you need to include the candle holder, or kinara. This is one of the most important parts of the Kwanzaa celebration. It needs to be able to hold 7 candles, and can be created to symbolize the African culture, either made out of wood or metal.
Putting together your Kwanzaa party can be great fun if you know what to get. Sticking to your traditions when choosing place mats or decorations will help you with ideas along the way.
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