Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States that honors African heritage in African-American culture. Kwanzaa is observed from December 26th to January 1st, and culminates in gift-giving and a big feast.

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The Facts

Kwanzaa is relatively new, compared to other holidays celebrated in the U.S. Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Africana Studies at California State University, first created Kwanzaa in 1966. He created this holiday in response to the Watts Riots in Los Angeles in 1965 as a way to bring African-Americans together as a community.

Dr. Karenga researched African harvest celebrations and combined aspects of several different celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the foundation of Kwanzaa. 

The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase matunda ya kwanza which means first fruits, or harvest, in Swahili. Celebrations often include singing and dancing, storytelling, poetry reading, African drumming, and feasting.

Dr. Karenga created seven guiding principles to be discussed during the week of Kwanzaa. The seven principles represent seven values of African culture that help build and reinforce community among African-Americans. Each day a different principle is discussed, and each day a candle is lit on the kinara (candleholder).

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7 Core Principals of Kwanzaa

Umoja: Unity – To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Kujichagulia: Self-Determination – To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.

Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility – To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and solve them together.

Ujamaa: Cooperative Economics – To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia: Purpose – To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba: Creativity – To always do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

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.

Core Symbols of Kwanzaa

Mazao: Crops – Mazao symbolizes the fruits of collective planning and work, and the resulting joy, sharing, unity and thanksgiving part of African harvest festivals. To demonstrate mazao, people place nuts, fruits, and vegetables, representing work, on the mkeka.

Mkeka: Place Mat – Just as the crops stand on the mkeka, the present day stands on the past. The mkeka symbolizes the historical and traditional foundation for people to stand on and build their lives.

Muhindi: Ear of Corn – The stalk of corn represents fertility and the idea that through children, the future hopes of the family are brought to life.

Mishumaa Saba: The Seven Candles – Candles are ceremonial objects that serve to symbolically re-create the sun’s power, as well as to provide light. There are three red candles, three green candles, and one black candle that are placed on the kinara.

Kinara: The Candleholder – The kinara represents our ancestry, and the original stalk from which we came.

Kikombe Cha Umoja: The Unity Cup – On the sixth day of Kwanzaa, the libation ritual is performed to honor the ancestors. Every family member and guest will take a drink together as a sign of unity and remembrance.

Zawadi: Gifts – On the seventh day of Kwanzaa, gifts are given to encourage growth, achievement, and success. Handmade gifts are encouraged to promote self-determination, purpose, and creativity.

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Additional Resources

• Official Kwanzaa Website
• National Museum of African American History & Culture – Kwanzaa
• National Geographic – Kwanzaa

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Activities

Zoom Backgrounds
Virtual backgrounds are one of the easiest ways to celebrate Kwanzaa! Just replace your normal backdrop with one that celebrates! Get your friends and co-workers to share and join in on the celebration of Kwanzaa too!

Right-click the image then save as to your computer. Open your Zoom application and update your background to the file you saved from this page.

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Social Media

• Directions
  • Click and save the images below to your device.
  • Then post it on social media and tag us using the social handles below!
    • EXAMPLE WORDS:  I’m extremely excited for Kwanzaa, which is a 7 day celebration of the African heritage in African-American culture! To celebrate this year I will be ____(giving a gift, having a “feast”, or learning about the core principles___) to honor my heritage. Check out these great @SpOlympicsMD resources if you want to celebrate over the next week with me! https://bit.ly/3FC2a1D
    • EXAMPLE WORDS: #DYK the celebration of Kwanzaa lasts a week instead of one day? In honor of Kwanzaa being this week, I will be using the @SpOlympicsMD Kwanzaa website to learn more about the core principles, core symbols, and the different ways that African-American celebrate and honor their African heritage. https://bit.ly/3FC2a1D

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