Kwanzaa

The African American and Pan-African holiday Kwanzaa was developed in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga as a means to fill a cultural void in the African American community. Noting the absence of any communal celebrations that were nonreligious and nonheroic and that were focused on the affirmation of the people, Kwanzaa was provided as a celebration of African American culture, family, and community.

In devising the holiday Dr. Karenga studied the various harvest festivals that were ubiquitous in African societies. Each of these festivals stressed the centrality of the family as a building block of the community, as well as the necessity of the community as the vehicle for collective work and responsibility, and served to affirm the core cultural and moral values of the community.

The name Kwanzaa came from the Kiswahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza” or “first fruits.” The holiday's placement at the end of the year, ending on the first day of the new year (December 26–January 1) was inspired by the Zulu first fruits celebration—Umkhosi (also a 7-day celebration). The 7 days of Kwanzaa were chosen to reflect the seven principles or the Nguzo Saba.

The Nguzo Saba is a value system that affirms and reinforces the importance of community, the righteousness of struggle, and the necessity of unwavering commitment in seeking to bring about a better world. The seven principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the reflection, practice, and internalization of a principle of the Nguzo Saba. This begins with Umoja on December 26 and ends with Imani on January 1.

In addition to the Nguzo Saba, Kwanzaa also consists of seven symbols. First is the Mazao, the crops, which are symbolic of fruits of one's labor in struggle. Next is the Mkeka, a straw mat symbolic of African traditions. Third is the Kinara, the candleholder, symbolic of the ancestors. Fourth is the Mahindi, the ears of corn, representative of the youth, the future, and new ideas. Fifth is the Zawadi, gifts, given to both inspire and reward learning and growth. Sixth is the Kikombe Cha Umoja, the unity cup, which is used to pay homage to the contributions of the ancestors through the pouring of libation. And last is the Mishumaa Saba, the seven candles, representing the seven principles—the Nguzo Saba.

From its beginnings in the 1960s, Kwanzaa has grown into a global phenomenon. Today it is practiced by millions of people of African descent in the United States, the African continent, and other parts of the Diaspora. Despite attempts at commercialization, its [Page 814]practice has remained largely focused on its core communal/cultural values.