make your homes beautiful by placing the Kwanzaa alter or table at a suitable place. Adorn the rooms of your
homes with hanging pictures, colorful posters and banners. Bedeck homes with fine looking African sculptures to match the colorful theme of Kwanzaa. Handful of Kwanzaa crafts and other decorations should be created according to your own tastes and preferences.
All the seven days of Kwanzaa bring new meaning and principles of the Nguzo Saba. A new candle is lighted each day to represent one of these doctrines of Kwanzaa.
Even though there is no specific rule about lighting the candle but most of the families traditionally pass the responsibility of lighting the candle to the youngest member of that particular family. Nevertheless, some families think it a bit differently. Some families pay the tribute to the eldest family member by giving him or her honor of lighting the candle.
The Second Day of Kwanzaa (December 27)
To represent the second doctrine or principle the left most red candle is lit after the black one. This principle represents Kujichagulia (koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah) or Self- Determination. The process goes on in the same way. The person who lights the candle on 2nd day makes a statement which is related to the second principle. He or she also continues with a passage or a poem on that particular principle and explains how this doctrine is related to the meaning of their lives. The Unity cup is again shared between the members and the candles are extinguished.