Kwanzaa Arrives to a Growing Following

Lincoln Theatre, Churches Across Region Mark Holiday Honoring African American Heritage

Members of All Souls Church, a Unitarian congregation in Columbia Heights, sing hymns at a celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa. (Photos Gerald Martineau -- The Washington Post)

In living rooms, church services and on the stage of the Lincoln Theatre in the District, people across the region yesterday celebrated the first day of Kwanzaa, a holiday that honors African American heritage and continues to grow in popularity.

The 38-year-old celebration, rooted in an African tradition of recognizing the first fruits of the harvest, crossed cultures as people of various ethnicities participated in some form of the Kwanzaa ritual of lighting candles over seven nights to recognize seven principles.

Churches scheduled special evening services or incorporated Kwanzaa into their morning services. At Lincoln Theatre, the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers were planning to perform at an event that also would recognize the group's 47th anniversary.

Kwanzaa celebrations will continue with more events, such as "The Spirit of Kwanzaa," at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The events range from light-hearted, music-filled festivals to serious, soul-searching ceremonies.

The Rev. Willie F. Wilson and members of Union Temple Baptist Church in Southeast Washington have been celebrating Kwanzaa since its inception.

Wilson's congregation battles it out in "A Taste of Kwanzaa, Watz Coo-in," in which members of the church are divided into 14 tribes and each night different tribes are responsible for preparing food.

Judges will evaluate the food and at the end of Kwanzaa declare a winner. Each night also features a different menu. Last night was "Yard Bird and Taters," and tonight's course is sweet potato pie. Parishioners will dine on okra and corn tomorrow.

At All Souls Church, a Unitarian congregation in the District's Columbia Heights neighborhood, parishioners bobbed to the music of a jazz ensemble and participated in a call-and-response ceremony with the Rev. Shana Goodwin. "This ritual is about history and the present and the future all rolled into one," she said.

The church recognizes Seder and Ramadan, and it seemed fitting to also celebrate Kwanzaa, although it is not a religious holiday, said Jenice View, a lay leader.

Yesterday, View and several church members wore African-inspired Sunday best. The bright garb added even more color to the rainbow of faces sitting in the pews.

View shared her Kwanzaa memories with the congregation. She said her family began celebrating the holiday more than a decade ago to gain some connection to the African American experience that was missing in other holidays.

The family didn't really know how to go about it.

"We were awkward at first," she said. "Are we doing this right?"

She said she feared the "Kwanzaa police" would burst into the family's home to correct all errors.

Each day, the ritual recognizes one of the seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

The seven principles and an additional seven symbols are spoken in Kiswahili, the most widely spoken language in eastern Africa. Words include the simple, such as nia, which means purpose, and the not-so-simple. The tongue-twisting kujichagulia (koo-jee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) means self-determination.

In an interview, the word easily rolled off the tongue of Colin Danville, View's husband. He recalled that he had a little help when the family held its first Kwanzaa ritual. "We had a pronunciation guide," he said.

Virginia View, View's mother, said the family thought it was important to fumble through that first holiday.

"For us, it's important because while we've had some clear sense of who we are as a family . . . we began to feel that we wanted something more," she said. "It has really reminded us of who we are and where we come from."

Staff writer Hamil R. Harris contributed to this report.