HOW TO CELEBRATE AT HOME

For African people who will not be able to participate in a formal Nakumbuka Day Ceremony, there is still the option of observing Nakumbuka Day in their homes and with friends and neighhors in small ceremonies. The day is started with creating an alter of historical and family ancestors, both recently and long passed on. We also recommend that it actually be set up the day before but the best thing to do is have a permanent standing alter already in the home. The alter should be covered with some kind of white cloth which is symbolic of mourning in the traditional African world. A white candle should be lit on the alter that morning by a member of the family. At some point during the day the family or group should find time to assemble around the alter. At the designated time of the family gathering four more candles should be added to the alter. The family ceremony starts with the lighting of the four candles which represent the four cardinal points of the earth where African people exist. The lighting of the candles is reserved for the elders in the group. If a male and female elder are present, both should light two candles each. If only one elder is present then that elder lights all four candles. If there are no elders present then the oldest person in the group will light the candles. Once the candles are lit the group may listen to a rendering of the song "Nakumbuka" or they may all sing it together. If the group does not have that song it can sing any song that reflects remembrance of African people (not religious or national anthems). Passages may be read by different members of the group that deal with the brutality of enslavement, apartheid, colonialism, segregation, or even civil war (between African people). Starting with the elder in the group each member is offered an opportunity to express a feeling on what the passage meant to that person. Once everyone has shared, each member of the group, starting with the elder, will remember an ancestor, recent or past, and how that person was victorious in his/her ability to cope with the Maafa in our lives. As this is being done a bowl of ash is placed in front of the person speaking. When the speaker has finished she/he then dips a forefinger into the ash and places a mark of mourning/celebration from that ash in the middle of her/his forehead. Once this is completed, starting with an elder, a bowl of salt is passed around to each person in the group to dip a finger into. No one will taste the salt until the elder signals everyone to do so. When the signal is given, everyone will place the salt on the tip of their tongues and taste it. The elder will remind them that the salt represents the pain of the Maafa in its various forms including enslavement, colonialism, apartheid, civil war and economic oppression. Then a bowl of honey is passed around to each person in the group to dip a finger into. Again no one will taste the honey until the elder signals everyone to do so. When the signal is given everyone will place the honey on the tip of their tongues and taste it. The elder will remind them that the honey is symbolic of the sweetness of our future victory because we remember the ancestors and their struggles against the Maafa today. The elder tells the group that African people may have victory delayed but they will, ultimately, defeat their oppression as long as they remember the Maafa without shame or embarrassment, understanding that we will never allow such a thing to ever happen to us again under any circumstances. Once this is done the elder will take a small replica of the Liberation Flag (Red, Black and Green) in his/her hands. While holding onto the flag the elder will make a commitment to the ancestors that no one in the circle will ever forget the pain and suffering that the ancestors endured, and that each person will remember through behaviors that build a positive future to the improvement of African life throughout the world. The elder will emphasize that differences in religion, politics, wealth, education, cultural ways and mixed ancestry should never divide African loyalties to our self-determination, and that no alien elements introduced to the African worldview should be allowed to separate us from each other. Once this has been stated the elder will kiss the Liberation Flag in commitment to this covenant, and will pass the flag around to each person in the circle to kiss. The elder will then clap once in front of each candle and blow it out. After that is done the group will say seven Nakumbukas with the seventh being the loudest. Everyone in the group will hug each other and the family ceremony is completed for the year. The one lone candle that was lit during the day will stay lit until the last person in the house goes to bed. If the ceremony takes place in another location that candle is blown out with the others. The ash should remain in the forehead until bedtime. While Nakumbuka Day is a solemn occasion of remembrance, it is not necessarily, a sad one. In the African world view, and in keeping with ancient and many contemporary indigenous African communities, it is also a time of celebration because the loved ones have returned home to reinforce our spiritual power. We are to remember that they still watch over us and guide us when we are sensitive to their presence. It is a loss and a gain, and like everything else in the universe it is never lost, just different. Some options include the family having a good cultural meal together that day and a small plate of that food should be placed in front of the alter. After the meal has been eaten, it can be removed. This should be done by the children (or youngest people) in the family/group, and serves to remind them of their immediate link to the ancestors. Remembering others entails fond and joyful memories even in difficult times. Our ancestors managed to find joy in the midst of the most brutal aspects of the Maafa and we should maintain that tradition. Finally from the African world view we believe that the ancestors surround us and interact with us even during the ceremony so it is important to cultivate this feeling of their presence throughout the day by using quotes and expressions of theirs to help maintain that linkage. NAKUMBUKA!