Kwanzaa Celebrated With Drums, Yoga At African-American Museum
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was the celebration of Kwanzaa Wednesday at the African-American Museum in Philadelphia -- with an emphasis on yoga and drumming.
Kwanzaa is built on seven principles. Unity, Self-Determination, and Faith are a few of them.
"It's all about people connecting, all people," said percussionist Karen Smith. "All lives matter, so everybody comes together. It's all about harmony and peace."
And for the second day of the seven-day holiday, Self-Determination, or Kujichagulia, as it's called in Swahili, is the principle focused on by those observing Kwanzaa.
At the African-American Museum in Philadelphia, they were taking in the day with drumming and yoga workshops,
The @aampmuseum holds a drumming workshop for the second day of #Kwanzaa #Kujichagulia #SelfDetermination @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/9w1vMXJcxI
— Justin Udo (@JustinUdo) December 27, 2017
"Without self-determination, you can't practice yoga," said yoga instructor Danielle Jernigan. "You can't grow in your practice. You can't grow mentally, you can't grow spiritually."
Smith says the activities are a great representations of the holiday.
"It brings the people in. It's about unity. It's about being together," she said. "Today is Self-Determination, so it brings a lot confidence and togetherness. That's what it's all about."
Officials with the African-American Museum say these workshops do a good job of getting people of all ages together, something Kwanzaa aims to do.
Kwanzaa, which is also called the First Harvest, is celebrated through New Year's Day.