How to Arrange a Kwanzaa Dinner Table

Sheila Bridges Holiday

Fine Living

Sheila Bridges:
Author/Interior Designer

Sheila: If you’re celebrating Kwanzaa here’s a great table setting by then planner
Tangie Murray that celebrates African tradition.

Tangie Murray:
Pink Glove. INC.

Tangie: This table is my Kwanzaa table and Kwanzaa is an African American
festival that takes place every year. It’s a none religious tradition but it
actually starts the day after Christmas so it starts on December 26 and lasts
for 7 days ending on January 1st. Each day of Kwanzaa represents a
different principle and the principles are actually meant to be carried
throughout the year so this feast is all about the 6th day of Kwanzaa which
is Kuumba the them or principle of Kuumba is creativity so we try to bring
in very creative elements to the table.

Some of our traditional African elements that are used on this table are the
Kente Cloth which is this base cloth here that today I’m using as a runner
and you can also use that as a full table cloth. Some people will drape it
over a piece of furniture or possibly hang some on the wall and then here
we have a straw mat that is called a Mkeka. It’s symbolizes a place to start
building your future so that should always be the base of the Kwanzaa
table.

Sheila: No Kwanzaa table is complete without a colorful assortment of fruit to
symbolize a bountiful harvest but it’s the center piece of this table that
showcases Tangie’s creative twist on the traditional.

Tangie: These candles are actually a Kinara which is a traditional Kwanzaa candle
holder and the colors in the Kinara represent the color of the African
American flag red, black and green. In the Kinara the black candle would
represent the African people, green will represent a hope for the future and
the red candles represent blood. On this table we have these figurines that
a friend of mine was actually sweet enough to bring me back from
Botswana representing African people and then just a twist on the
traditional taper Absalom green pillars here and then some red pillars over
here.

Sheila: Tangie represents the colors and organic textures of African culture with
rich earthy tones throughout the table setting.

Tangie: There are also some other textural elements that I use such as these swade
napkins and the wooden and straw napkin rings that you see around them.
Even down to the glasses just going back toward earth tones and keeping
it all very natural looking but warm as well.

Sheila: And the place card serve a dual purpose.

Tangie: Keeping in mind that a lot of people don’t celebrate Kwanzaa now. What I
wanted to do is kind of use this night as a way to education and inform the
people who are going to be joining me at my dinner each place card has a
different Kwanzaa word or theme. Most of them tide back to one of the 7
days of Kwanzaa. And know the Kwanzaa tradition is the giving of gifts
the Swahili word for this gift is Zawadi.

Sheila: To incorporate Zawadi on to her table Tangie found these beautiful silk
journals to tie in perfectly with the theme of creativity. What better way
for her guests to carry on the principle of Kuumba throughout the year.