The fevered, rapid beating of African drums was unknown to Lustrina Edwards until a recent Kwanzaa celebration exposed her to its powerful rhythm. Nearby, Jennifer Manis wanted to learn more about a holiday she had heard about but had never witnessed up close.

Both were among a packed crowd Wednesday night at the Hayti Heritage Center's weeklong KwanzaaFest Celebration. Each night, one of the holiday's seven principles is celebrated through dance, song, music or storytelling.

Kwanzaa, started by Maulana Karenga in 1966, began Tuesday and lasts through Monday, focusing on the values of family, community responsibility, commerce and self-improvement.

"Kwanzaa is not an exclusive holiday, it's an inclusive holiday," said Zayd Malik, who hosted the Hayti event. "And it's not a religious holiday. It's a Pan-African celebration celebrating Pan-Africanism among other things."

Behind Malik, who stood on a stage, was a table decorated with red, black and green cloth. In the middle was a kinara (candle holder), with three red and green candles and a black one in the middle, each representing a Kwanzaa principle. One candle is supposed to be lit each night. Next to the kinara were fruits and vegetables and books about Kwanzaa. Below the kinara was a red, black and green flag with a silhouette of the African continent.

Lustrina, 12, a seventh-grader at Chewning Middle School, has friends who celebrate Kwanzaa but wasn't formally introduced to it until her mentor, Shara Marshall, talked about it a week before Christmas. Marshall, 25, thought the holiday's principles would help Lustrina learn more about herself.

"Just the values I think would be good for her in the long run because she can apply it to her everyday life and bring self-awareness," said Marshall, who brought Lustrina to Wednesday's event.

After listening to the performance by Atiba Rorie and Elements of Percussion, Lustrina realized music can help her express thoughts and feelings instead of lashing out on someone. She plans to apply Kwanzaa's principles in her own way.

"When people say something about you, just blow it off because if it's not true, then you don't need to involve yourself in that," she said.

Manis, 23, has known about the holiday since high school while living in Fort Pierce, Fla., but had never seen a Kwanzaa celebration. She was at the event Wednesday to gain a better understanding of the holiday. She plans to attend every performance.

The substitute teacher stood out a bit, wearing a bright sweater, blue jeans and sneakers as most participants sported African garb. But that didn't stop her from swaying her body and tapping her hands on her left leg to the beat. Manis learned that Kwanzaa isn't a substitute for Christmas and that it is about community and preserving black culture, she said.

And while she's white, Manis feels she and others can apply Kwanzaa's principles to their lives.

"I feel like they're what all people need to embrace," she said. "It can help remedy some of the ills we see today, classism and racism and people struggling with each other. You have to value yourself first and I feel like Kwanzaa speaks to that, valuing the individual to enhance the community."

(WORDS BY STANLEY B. CHAMBERS JR.)