How To Celebrate Kwanzaa, According To Another Round
We cannot be held responsible for your friends abandoning you because you tried to make Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa cake.
Wondering how you should celebrate Kwanzaa this year or even how to celebrate at all? Let the ladies of BuzzFeed's Another Round podcast guide you through this festive season.
We threw a pair of live shows in New York—Heben & Tracy's Kwanzaa Spectacular—with special guests, Kwanzaa cake, live music and more. They were recorded at the Jerome L. Greene Space on Dec. 2, 2015, and the Bell House on Dec. 5, 2015.
You can listen to the LIVE episode here:
You can watch the full Another Round Kwanzaa Spectacular here:
View this video on YouTube
Recorded at the Jerome L. Greene Space in New York on Dec. 2, 2015.
Here are a few tips for your own festivities:
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1. Make Sandra Lee's iconic Kwanzaa cake for your celebrations.
View this video on YouTube
Step 1. Get incredibly drunk because that's the only way this cake makes sense.
(If you have been blessed with having never seen this infamous video, here is the cake in question.)
2. Get a Kwanzaa menorah for your candle lighting ceremony. (Also learn that the Kwanzaa menorah is actually called a "kinara" so you should probably stop calling it that.)
3. Decorate however you see fit. The more "African prints" the better tbh.
4. You can wear whatever you want! A cute holiday dress or your finest dashiki – all are welcome!
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5. Brush up on your Kwanzaa principals.
6. Don't forget about some of the lesser known Kwanzaa principals! Friend of the podcast Gene Demby shares this overlooked history here:
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7. Listen to some Kwanzaa songs or make up your own because that's actually not a thing.
Add all the flute solos you see fit.
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8. Dancing is highly encouraged.
9. If Steve Harvey randomly crashes your Kwanzaa spectacular, just roll with it!
View this video on YouTube
If anything, you know it will at least be entertaining.
"We asked 85 cacti: if you were a mermaid, what would you do? (Drink water was the #1 answer.)"
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"We asked 100 shoe cobblers: if you could make a peach cobbler, what kind of peaches would you use? (Regular peaches was the #1 answer.)"
"We asked 85 garbage men: if you had a cheese named after you, what would it be called? ("Tyrone" was the #1 answer.)"
10. But most importantly, spend quality time with your friends and loved ones! And drink!
Kwanzaa is all about celebrating and building community so the only thing that really matters is you celebrate with that in your heart. Happy Kwanzaa, everyone! Habari Gani and hotep to you all.
You can find all the gorgeous photos from Another Round's Kwanzaa Spectacular here:
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Questions? Comments? Need some advice? Email us at AnotherRound@BuzzFeed.com!
This episode features music from Donwill (follow him on Twitter) and Jean Grae!
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Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton cover everything from race, gender and pop culture to squirrels, mangoes, and bad jokes, all in one boozy podcast.
Contact Another Round at julia.furlan+anotherround@buzzfeed.com.
Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
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heben@buzzfeed.com
Contact Heben Nigatu at heben@buzzfeed.com.
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Tracy Clayton is an audio producer for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
Contact Tracy Clayton at tracy.clayton@buzzfeed.com.
