First day of weeklong Kwanzaa holiday celebrated with music, storytelling

ST. THOMAS — Children sat and listened to Brah Anansi stories then got to pick out a free book on Thursday at A+ Educational Supplies in Wheatley Center II, as the first day of Kwanzaa opened with a celebration of unity.

The weeklong holiday, established in 1966 by professor Maulana Karenga, chair of Africana studies at California State University, is celebrated annually between Dec. 26 and Jan 1. It has been observed in the territory since the early 1970s. Imani George and Nasiah Daniel, both 7, sat enthralled with Marie Paul’s expressive telling of the tale of Brah Anansi and Brother Goat, a story of how the latter, who had an aversion to water, got help from a friend to avoid being eaten by the ancient trickster one rainy day.

“It’s fun to experience,” said George, who was attending a Kwanzaa event for the first time along with her brother and grandmother Josette Williams. Gwen Kelly, a member of Eta Phi Beta Sorority, read a children’s book from the store, “This is How We Play: A Celebration of Disability and Adaptation,” by Jessica Slice and Catherine Cupp, about intellectual and developmental disabilities.