On the final day of Kwanzaa, gifts are exchanged — and it’s not as easy as just picking out the first thing that gets pushed through your Facebook feed on deadline day for ordering. The zawadi are meant to be deeply meaningful, and to tie with one or more of the seven guiding principles of Kwanzaa. That means shopping local, shopping Black-owned, or doing a deep dive into your own creativity and making something special: Because everyone knows, the best gifts come from the heart.
Gift-giving seems so commonplace that it might not be anything special, but Terry Y. Le Vine of UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History explained to the Los Angeles Times that when it comes to what makes humans, well, human, gift-giving is actually pretty high on the list. Le Vine cites traditions among groups like the !Kung as being about much more than just the gift, but of lifelong bonds built around generosity and thoughtfulness. And when gifts are passed down through generations, it’s a connection that transcends time.
Read Related Also: Texas Teen Indicted for Stabbing Death of Teen in Restaurant Parking Lot
And that’s what zawadi are meant to be: Meaningful, thoughtful, and sentimental gifts that remind recipients of the guiding principles promoted by Kwanzaa. They might be handmade, they might not be, but they’re always reciprocated. And here’s the beautiful thing: Giving a zawadi gift is a tradition among those considered family, so giving to friends, neighbors, and even coworkers means that those people are now, too, part of the family.
