Dec. 26 marks the first day of Kwanzaa.
For the next seven days, the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum will celebrate the holiday at its center in Southeast D.C.
Mama Ayo is in her element.
“I’ve been telling stories about Kwanzaa since 1970,” Kwanza storyteller Ayo Handy Kendi, who goes by Mama Ayo, said. “Yes, a long, long time.”
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For the last five years, she’s helped the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum kick off its Kwanzaa celebrations.
“Today we start our program with the understanding that this is our village,” Mama Ayo said.
Kwanza is a seven-day holiday celebrating African American and Pan-African culture and community.
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Each day of the holiday is represented by a principle. The first day is unity.
“As a community-based museum, it is so important for us to bring the community together around celebrations,” said Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum Director Melanie Adams.
The Community Museum’s Kwanzaa events always draw many. There was standing room only for the kickoff event.
“As a family, we all celebrate Kwanzaa every single year right after Christmas,” said Ongisa Ichile-McKenzie, who celebrates Kwanza.
During this first program, Mama Ayo not only shared the history of the holiday with guests, but also lit the first candle of Kwanzaa.
After that, there was a performance from the Taratibu Youth Association.
Guests said the holiday is a time of reflection and a chance to connect with their culture.
“Kwanzaa is kind of a unifying holiday for us, so we just love going from the, kind of, commercial giving of Christmas into the unity, kind of, very ritualized celebration of Kwanzaa,” Ichile-McKenzie said.
The Anacostia Community Museum will be holding events for each day of Kwanzaa. The principle for the second day is self-determination.
