How it works
Kwanzaa bubble letters on one sideways sheet in Fredoka: seven letters, three of them a's, each with a white ring. Chewy prints the word taller and fills all three rings with black.
Read the full guide
Greetings and the seven principles
After your first print, open Kwanzaa words in bubble letters. Happy / Kwanzaa, Joyous / Kwanzaa and Habari / gani? greet a door. Under Nguzo / Saba or Seven / Principles goes a sheet a day, from Umoja to Imani; the row holds their English names too, from Unity to Faith.
Labels for the Kwanzaa table
Kinara names the candle holder, and Mishumaa / Saba or Seven / Candles what it holds. Mkeka is the mat the symbols stand on, Mazao the crops, Kikombe / cha Umoja the Unity Cup and Zawadi the gifts. Karamu and First / Fruits head the feast table.
- Imani begins with a capital I, a plain bar in Fredoka and Baloo 2; Chewy draws it with a bar at each end.
- Nia, three letters, prints about four times as tall as Self- / Determination.
- For a sheet in each of the holiday's colors, set Colours, under More options, to Black, Red and Slime green in turn.
Questions and answers
How do you draw Kwanzaa in bubble letters?
Pencil K, w, a, n, z, a, a with wide gaps. Round every stroke into a fat outline, keep a small ring in each of the three a's, then rub out the pencil and color the letters black, red and green.
Why does Kwanzaa end in two a's?
The name comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, first fruits. A second a was added at the end so that the word would have a symbolic seven letters; the holiday also has seven days, seven principles and seven candles.
When is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa, a celebration of African-American culture, runs from December 26 to January 1 every year. Each of the seven days is dedicated to one principle, and a shared feast called Karamu is usually held on the sixth day.
What are the seven principles of Kwanzaa?
Umoja is Unity, Kujichagulia Self-Determination, Ujima Collective Work and Responsibility, Ujamaa Cooperative Economics, Nia Purpose, Kuumba Creativity and Imani Faith. All seven are Swahili words, and together they are the Nguzo Saba.
What is a kinara?
The candle holder of Kwanzaa; kinara is a Swahili word for candle holder. It holds three red candles on the left, three green on the right and one black in the center, which is lit first.