Decorate with African Art for Kwanzaa

by MIriam Schulman, @schulmanArt

Everyone has heard of Kwanzaa, a unique holiday that celebrates African culture, but do you know that the holiday includes the celebration of arts? Kwanzaa is a week-long holiday that is celebrated around the world that takes place between December the 26th and January the 1st every year. The holiday celebrates African culture and history. The Kwanzaa originated in the U.S.A as a holiday  just for African Americans. 

People decorate their homes in African colours and put up pieces of African art. Some people attend a Kwanzaa ceremony that has African drumming and music. One of the most important parts of Kwanzaa is a special feast called a karamu. Family and friends get together and celebrate who they are. If you go to a karamu, you should say “Habari gani,” which is Swahili for “What’s news?”

Kwanzaa celebrates Nguzu Saba, which means "The Seven Principles of Blackness". Each of the seven days represents a different principle. The principles are unity, self-determination, working together, cooperating in business, building the nation, creativity, and faith. People who celebrate Kwanzaa light candles in a special candle holder called a kinara.

The African tribal paintings featured in this blog were created from studying an original African art sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The original charcoal drawings were painted with watercolor, The tribal wall art has a wonderful abstract quality giving it a modern sophistication. The watercolor paintings were given an additional texture to add to the visual appeal. Check out all the African art available for sale online.

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