How to Make a Kinara

The kinara, one of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa, represents previous generations of Africans, the root from which African-Americans sprung. The seven candles in the kinara represent the holiday's seven principles. You can buy a kinara in nearly any African-American bookstore or specialty market, but making your own is more fun. It also gives you a chance to use your kuumba (creativity, the third principle of Kwanzaa).

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Wood Glues
• 3 Red Candles
• Acrylic Sealer
• Measuring Tapes
• Lighter Or Matches
• 1 Wooden Boards
• Common Nails
• Hammers
• Medium-grain Sandpaper
• Variable-speed Drills And 1-inch Bit
• 7 Toy Alphabet Blocks To Spell Out Kwanzaa

1. Find or buy a plank of wood that's about 15 inches long by 4 inches wide by 1 inch high.

2. Buy seven children's alphabet blocks to spell out "Kwanzaa."

3. Sand the board smooth or until the grain comes up the way you like it.

4. Space the blocks evenly on the board.

5. Glue the blocks in place with wood glue and let them dry thoroughly. (The instructions on the bottle or tube will tell you how long it will take.)

6. Drill a hole into the top of each block. It should be about 3/4 inch deep and just slightly smaller in diameter than the candles you plan to use (about 1 inch for standard-size tapers).

7. Turn the board over and nail the blocks to the board.

8. Coat both blocks and board with two coats of transparent acrylic sealer.

9. Insert the candles into the holes: three red candles on the left, three green candles on the right and one black candle in the center.

Tips & Warnings

• Instead of letter blocks, use plain blocks and paint African animals or geometric motifs on the sides.

• Pine and Douglas fir are the easiest types of wood to work with, but if you're looking for character, specialty lumberyards have some gorgeous woods to choose from.

• This is just one kind of kinara. For ideas and instructions on making other kinds, as well as some of the other Kwanzaa symbols, look in books on Kwanzaa crafts.