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Out & About
By Times staff Kwanzaa celebrationCome participate in and rites of passage at this year's Kwanzaa celebration today. Special guests from Nigeria will be on hand for the celebration -- Gertrude Arienmughare from the Urhobo tribe and Oluwatoyin Obisesan from the Yoruba tribe. And Evie Larmond has arrived from Jamaica along with a host of others. This cultural holiday, conceived and developed by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga, was first celebrated on Dec. 26, 1966. Kwanzaa is traditionally celebrated by some African-American families from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1; each day focuses on one of the seven social and spiritual principles, Nguzo Saba. Derived from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits," Kwanzaa is rooted in the first harvest celebrations practiced in various cultures in Africa. Africans and African-Americans of all religious faiths and backgrounds practice Kwanzaa. This formal event is modeled after a ceremony in African societies that initiates children into adulthood with rites of passage. The evening begins with a calling by drums at a reception with hors d'oeuvres at 6 p.m. today at St. Paul's Catholic Church, 12708 N Dale Mabry Highway at the corner of Stall Road. The program starts at 7. Everyone is welcome. Cost is $20 per adult and $10 per child. For information, call 961-6239. Folks and blues mini-fest benefitA benefit concert at Skipper's Smokehouse on Sunday will include a variety of acoustic music covering various genres, including traditional and contemporary folk, blues and bluegrass. The annual fundraiser benefits the Adam Morris Outward Bound Scholarship Fund. The program and non-profit organization is a wilderness-based education experience for teens. Rochelle and Norm Morris established the scholarship in memory of their son, Adam Morris, who died in Gainesville not long after his graduation from the University of Florida. The event is from 1 to 10 p.m. at Skipper's, 910 Skipper Road. Open mike is from 1 to 3 p.m. and scheduled acts are from 3 to 10 p.m. The cost is $8 at the door, children 12 and younger are free. For information, call 971-0666. - If you have any cultural or entertainment news, write to Mary Elmore at North of Tampa, St. Petersburg Times, 14358-B N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, FL 33618. Fax (813) 226-3352. Or e-mail us at northtampa@sptimes.com
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From the Times |
