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Kwanzaa, the annual seven-day African-American holiday, is a time to gather, honor traditions and—of course—feast. Every family celebrates in their own way, but we've got a few festive ideas to help you plan without the stress and make it a Kwanzaa to remember.
Invitations
Send out the word to family and friends about your Kwanzaa celebration with the premium “Light the Kwanzaa Candles” Evite invitation below or check out our Kwanzaa invitation gallery for more options.
Decorations
Go for the holiday's traditional colors—green, red and black—using streamers, balloons and African prints. Display African art objects, textiles and maps on tables and walls. Place colorful floor pillows around the table for guests to sit on.
Most importantly though, your Kwanzaa set should be the centerpiece of your celebration. Place these items on a low table or on the floor, in a central location of your party area.
Ideas for arranging your Kwanzaa set:
- Cover a table with an African cloth that is green, red and black.
- Place a large mat (called a mkeka) on the cloth. The other items will then be placed on, or around, the mat.
- Put the Kwanzaa candleholder (kinara) on the cloth, and add the seven candles (mishumaa saba): one black, three red and three green. The black candle goes in the center, the green candles to the right of it and the red candles to its left.
- Crops (mazao), usually represented by various colorful fruits and vegetables, are then placed on the table, along with ears of corn. The corn symbolizes children; there should be an ear of corn on the table for each child in the family. If there are no children in your home, place two ears on the table to represent the importance of children to the community.
- The next item you display is your unity cup (kikombe cha umoja).
- Lastly, round out your display with traditional Kwanzaa gifts (zawadi): books, African art objects and handmade items.
Traditions
Every night of Kwanzaa highlights one of the seven principles of the holiday. The celebration begins each night with someone calling out the greeting “Habari gani?” (“What’s the news?”). Everybody responds with the name of the principle for that night.
After that, the candles of the kinara are then lit. The first night, the black candle is lit and for each subsequent night one more candle is lit, from left to right.
The Seven Nights and Principles of Kwanzaa:
- December 26 Umoja (Unity)
- December 27 Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
- December 28 Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
- December 29 Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
- December 30 Nia (Purpose)
- December 31 Kuumba (Creativity)
- January 1 Imani (Faith)
The sixth night, December 31, features a large feast called Karamu. On the final night, a farewell statement is given; everybody takes a final drink from the unity cup and the kinara candles are extinguished.
Activities
Kwanzaa is a family affair, so choose activities that honor and celebrate your nearest and dearest.
- Put together a family scrapbook, and ask guests to bring their favorite photos and small, special mementos from the year to include.
- Get everyone in the holiday spirit with group sing-alongs, poetry readings and dance performances.
- Create a family tree and ask relatives to help you map out your family tree.
- Make jewelry by stringing African beads into colorful necklaces and earrings. These will make gorgeous additions to your Kwanzaa set and are great gifts.
Food
Kwanzaa dinners usually feature African-American dishes with Southern, Caribbean and African specialties. Save your biggest showstoppers for the feast of Karamu on December 31. For main dishes, try okra gumbo or an African stew. Roast beef, lamb kabobs or jerk chicken or pork are great options too. Accompany your main dish with beloved sides like corn casserole, red beans and rice, sweet potato soufflé and fried okra. And don't forget about dessert! Cap off the meal with zucchini bread, sweet potato pie and benne cakes (West African sesame cookies).
Drinks
Ginger Beer (serves 6 to 8)
Despite its name, this West African drink is non-alcoholic. You can spice it up by adding a shot of rum to each glass. Note: In this recipe, from Epicurious, the ginger must steep for 24 hours before serving.
- 6 cups water
- 1 pound fresh ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar or white sugar
- 1 lime, cut into 6-8 wedges, for garnish
Bring 6 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Finely chop ginger in processor. Transfer chopped ginger to large glass or ceramic bowl; add boiling water and stir to blend. Cover loosely with foil; let ginger mixture stand at cool room temperature 24 hours.
Strain ginger liquid into large pitcher; discard solids in strainer. Add sugar to liquid and stir until sugar dissolves. Fill glasses with crushed ice and pour ginger beer over ice. Serve each glass of ginger beer with a lime wedge to squeeze over the top.
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What makes Evite SignUp Sheets different from other signup tools?
Developed hand-in-hand with community organizers, PTA presidents, parents and teachers, Evite's signup sheets are designed to make organizing volunteers a breeze. Here are a few ways SignUp Sheets are different than other signup tools:
- 100% free: SignUp Sheets are free to use.
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- Automatic reminders and notifications: Stay on top of your event with automated reminders and notifications for you and your participants. Perfect for busy parents, teachers and anyone juggling multiple commitments.
- Customization options: Tailor your signup sheets to your specific event, whether it's a school fundraiser, potluck, volunteer opportunity or team activity. Add custom tasks, time slots and requirements for smooth coordination.
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Choose Evite SignUp Sheets for the easiest, most streamlined way to get volunteers and signups for your next event!
What is a SignUp Sheet?
Signup sheets are the perfect way to streamline scheduling, volunteer recruitment, class parties, snack duty, potluck organization, parent-teacher conferences and more! You can think of them as your digital assistant for coordinating events and tasks and ensuring that your event is a success.
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Long story short, SignUp Sheets save everyone involved tons of time, avoid scheduling headaches and ensure everything runs smoothly before and during the event.
How do I create a SignUp Sheet?
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- Next, create slots for your signup sheet. If you aren’t logged into your account, you will need to do so at this point, but luckily, you can use your existing Evite account (no need to create yet another login!). What you’ll include here will depend on what your event needs, but you can include a list of what’s needed (along with optional descriptions), how many volunteers are needed, and dates and times.
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What information should be included on a SignUp Sheet?
When it comes to signup sheet information, there are some essentials to include regardless of what you’re organizing:
- A title for your signup sheet. Tip: Aim to keep your signup sheet title concise but clear. You want volunteers to read it and have a general understanding of what your event is about, and also make it easy for them to look for later if they need to reference your sheet again. You have the option to include a more descriptive note in a different field about your event, so save the more in-depth details for that!
- When and where the event is taking place.
- The organizer’s name and phone number.
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When adding your slot information, clearly define what people are signing up for, especially for a what-to-bring list or role assignments. If you want someone to bring healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after a game, specify that. You want your volunteers to feel confident in what they’re bringing and to make it easy for them to know what’s expected of them. It will save them time and stress (and you, too!). That being said, if you make your ask too specific (for example, asking for a hard-to-source item or something expensive), you may not end up with a volunteer for it. So be clear about what you expect, but also be reasonable!
Aside from providing the basic signup information, you can also add optional descriptions to both your entire signup sheet and individual slots. While not required, they can help guide your volunteers further and provide more information. You can add information about allergies, preferences and general info about the event. You can also add a wish list to make it easier for your volunteers to bring exactly what you need!
What are the benefits of using a SignUp Sheet template?
Signup sheet templates offer a ton of advantages for both organizers and volunteers and with Evite SignUp Sheets, you'll enjoy even more benefits than other digital and paper signup sheets! Some benefits our signup sheet templates offer include:
- A 100% free experience (no subscriptions required!).
- Shareable links for quick and easy sharing.
- No need to create another login—you can use your existing Evite account.
- The option to add a wish list to help your volunteers out.
- Automatic reminders—we’ll remind everyone on your behalf.
- An easy-to-use experience with eye-catching guided templates.
- Clean, modern designs with no pop-up ads.
With Evite SignUp Sheets, you can enjoy organizing and coordinating all your events with ease. Signup sheets streamline the signup process for everyone involved, ensuring that everything will go to plan on the day of your event while saving you precious time in the process.
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