This time of year, Donald F. Wallace increasingly encounters something pleasant. "People stop me on the streets and say 'Happy Kwanzaa,' " he said.
There was a time when people did not know the meaning of the Swahili word for "first fruits of the harvest" -- the name also given to an annual black cultural celebration -- said Mr. Wallace, a Columbia consultant who develops self-esteem programs for blacks.
"I think it's catching on," he said. "When we first started having it, most people came to our house and didn't know what we were doing. Now people call and ask if we're having it."
Mr. Wallace and his wife, Adrienne, have celebrated the holiday since 1966, sometimes attracting 30 people. They claim to be one of the first families to celebrate Kwanzaa in Columbia.
"It's a time to commit," Mr. Wallace said, "a recommitment of your values with yourself, with your community, your family, and nationally and internationally. Kwanzaa is also a time when we look back and think about and remember our family."
The Wallaces, who live in the Running Brook neighborhood, will be among many Howard County families and groups observing the holiday this year from tomorrow through New Year's Day.
A community Kwanzaa celebration tomorrow through Friday at Columbia's Kahler Hall will include music, dancing and storytelling.
The local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and St. John the Evangelist Baptist Church are co-sponsoring a free Kwanzaa celebration Wednesday at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center.
In addition, the Howard County Center of African American Culture will hold an open house at One Commerce Center in Columbia's Town Center from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, a black nationalist and a professor of black studies at California State University in Long Beach, initiatedKwanzaa in the United States in 1966. Today, perhaps as many as 5 million people worldwide participate in some aspect of the observance.
The cultural celebration -- formally seven days long -- focuses on aspects of the Nguzo Saba, or principles for living.
Each night, the celebration focuses on one of seven principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose) kumba (creativity) and imani (faith).
"The purpose of the holiday is really to have an opportunity to reflect on the past year . . . and look forward to the coming year," said Lynne Newsome, an elementary school facilitator for the county school system's Black Student Achievement Program. She has celebrated the holiday for three years.
She and Mr. Wallace said the holiday helps parents pass on values to their children. She has two daughters, and he has three sons and a daughter.
Kwanzaa occurs in December, but it is unrelated to Christmas. "It doesn't conflict with Christmas," Mr. Wallace said. "It has nothing to do with religion."
Kwanzaa has a set of rituals. "We start with libation -- acknowledgment to our ancestors, thanking them for paving the way for us," Mr. Wallace said.
Also on the first night, a black candle, in the center of a seven-branched candelabra called a kinara, is lighted to represent unity. The seven principles also are explained.
Each subsequent night, alternating green and red candles are lighted, each representing another principle.
On the last day, families hold a feast called the Karamu. Gifts are also given.
Though a cultural holiday, Kwanzaa has increasingly become commercial, Mr. Wallace said.
Kwanzaa is not a one-shot deal for Mr. Wallace. "The Kwanzaa display is always up" in his home, he said. "Kwanzaa is just not celebrated during the seven days. . . . We celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa all year round."