The seventh and final day is dedicated to the seventh principle. This day will be filled with self-reflection and considering your pledges from the previous days.
Day 7 of Kwanzaa: Imani
The principle of Imani is defined as faith. Though it’s the last principle, it’s widely believed that you might find it hard to adhere to the others without it. That’s why your pledge on this day will be “to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.”
With the focus on faith, it’s typical to have a scheduled time of self-reflection and meditation while thinking about renewal. In fact, the last day of Kwanzaa is usually called Siku ya Taamuli or the Day of Meditation.
A few of the questions you can ask yourself are “Who am I?”, “Am I really who I say I am?” and “Am I all I ought to be?” as well as queries about your interest in faith.
Since the focus is on faith, some people use this day to contemplate how they can adhere to the traditional beliefs of their ancestors. If you do that, you may find some traditions that you can uphold that will be beneficial to you and your loved ones. Others opt to explore other religious systems that align with how they inherently feel.
Of course, the act of faith isn’t just spiritual. It can relate to having faith in yourself and your ability to accomplish the goals you’ve set. You can also have faith in your loved ones and others in the community to keep their word based on what everyone decided to take on during the celebration of Kwanzaa.
Day 7 of Kwanzaa is celebrated on January 1st.
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How To Celebrate Imani
The last day’s festivities start the same way as the other days. The leader asks the group, "Habari gani?" or “What’s happening?” and everyone replies with Imani to indicate that the day is dedicated to the principle of faith.
The leader says a prayer and the older adults prepare the libations as well as the unity cup or cups. Once this is done, the assigned person will light the candles on the kinara in the required order.
First, they’ll light the black candle followed by the first red candle to the left of it. Then they would light the first green candle to the right of the black one followed by the second red candle. Then, they’ll light the second green candle to the right of the black candle followed by the third red candle to the left. Finally, they’ll light the third green candle to the right of the black candle. Lighting this green candle represents the commitment to practicing faith in a way to will uplift yourself and others.
When all the candles are lit, the same person will make a statement about the principle of Imani. It will define Imani in a way that everyone can understand so they can discuss it.
Afterward, they may share a poem, passage, story, or song that reflects how they practice Imani in their everyday lives. Those in attendance may also be given the opportunity to discuss how they plan to integrate Imani into their lives. Sometimes, this discussion can center around developing personal vision boards or mantras.
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After the discussion, you will share the libations and move on to the gift-giving portion of the festivities. The intricacy of this section will depend on whether or not you opted to exchange gifts every day of Kwanzaa or wait until the last day.
When all the gifts have been exchanged, the candles will be extinguished to signify the end of the Kwanzaa celebrations for the year.
The seven days of Kwanzaa are meant to be a time of self-reflection while documenting realistic plans for uplifting and supporting the Black community. You don’t need to make huge changes to your life, though. Even small steps can make a big difference when everybody works together.
