What is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is a week-long cultural celebration that honors African American heritage, culture, and values. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 as a response to the absence of a holiday that specifically celebrated the African American community. Kwanzaa takes place annually from December 26 to January 1.
The name "Kwanzaa" is derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning "first fruits," symbolizing the harvest and the celebration of African culture. During the holiday, families gather to reflect on seven guiding principles, known as the Nguzo Saba (Swahili for "Seven Principles"), which are:
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Umoja (Unity) – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
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Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) – To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
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Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) – To build and maintain the community together and to make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and solve them together.
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Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) – To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
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Nia (Purpose) – To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore people to their traditional greatness.
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Kuumba (Creativity) – To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
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Imani (Faith) – To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Each day of Kwanzaa focuses on one of these principles, and families often celebrate by lighting candles on the kinara (a seven-branched candleholder), where each candle represents one of the principles. The colors of Kwanzaa are red, black, and green, which represent the struggle, the people, and the hope for the future, respectively.
Kwanzaa also includes feasts, music, dance, and storytelling, emphasizing community, family, and culture. It is not a religious holiday, but rather a cultural observance, and can be celebrated by people of various faiths and backgrounds.