What is the Kwanzaa holiday? Kwanzaa is a week-long African-American and Pan-African holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1. It was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, as a means to promote African heritage, culture, and unity among African Americans. The holiday is rooted in the values of African culture and is intended to strengthen the bonds of community and family.
Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.” It is a time to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks for the year’s blessings. The holiday is characterized by its seven principles, known as the Nguzo Saba, which serve as a guide for personal and communal growth.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa are:
1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. 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.
7. 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.
During the celebration of Kwanzaa, a special table is set with a colorfully decorated Kwanzaa tablecloth, candles, a kinara (a candleholder), and various symbols representing the seven principles. The kinara holds seven candles, with three red ones on the left, three green ones in the middle, and one black one on the right. The black candle represents the people, while the red and green candles symbolize the blood and the land of Africa, respectively.
The Kwanzaa celebration begins with a lighting ceremony, where each day a different candle is lit, starting with the black candle on the first day. Family members and friends gather to share in the observance, which includes storytelling, feasting, and gift-giving. The holiday is a time to reflect on the past year, appreciate the present, and look forward to the future with hope and optimism.
As the Kwanzaa holiday continues to grow in popularity, it serves as a reminder of the importance of cultural heritage and the power of unity. It encourages individuals to embrace their African roots and to work together to build a stronger, more inclusive community. Kwanzaa is more than just a celebration; it is a movement that promotes peace, love, and understanding among all people.
