Who celebrates Kwanzaa and why? Origin, creator, and all you need to know about the 7-day festival

Kwanzaa is an annual seven-day festival observed in the United States in appreciation of African families, culture, and heritage. This year, it will be celebrated from December 26, 2022, to January 1, 2023.

Kwanzaa was created for and primarily celebrated by Black Americans, but the festival has spread to the Caribbean, Canada, and other countries with large populations of African descendants. The holiday peaked in the 1980s and 1990s at the height of the Afrocentric movement but is still celebrated by millions of people in the US and around the world.

A woman lighting the candles for Kwanzaa (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

The celebrations are marked by decorating homes with colorful artifacts and decorations, candle-lighting ceremonies, feasts, singing, dancing, storytelling, and exchanging gifts to honor their past and their future.

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Kwanzaa is a non-religious, non-political holiday and not an alternative to Christmas

The festival itself was created in 1966, during the tail end of the Civil Rights movement, in response to the Watts Riots that shook Los Angeles, California. The rebellion was the result of years of segregation, poverty, and abuse at the hands of the police.

A celebration with Maulana Karenga at the center (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

In the aftermath of the riots, Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Africana Studies at California State University and an important leader of the Afrocentric movement, created the holiday. His goal was to bring African-Americans together as a community to celebrate their cultural and historical legacy.

Kwanzaa started as an explicitly pan-African American holiday, centered around the end-of-the-year harvest festival happening in Africa. Karenga chose the word kwanza, which is based on the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means first fruit or harvest. The extra 'a' was added to make the word long enough to represent the seven children present at an early celebration.

Dr. Karenga created the Nguzo Saba, or seven guiding principles of African communitarian heritage and philosophy, in 1965. A different principle is discussed each day of Kwanzaa.

1. Umoja or Unity
2. Kujichagulia or Self-Determination
3. Ujima or Collective Work and Responsibility
4. Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics
5. Nia or Purpose
6. Kuumba or Creativity
7. Imani or Faith

In addition to the seven principles, there are seven core celebratory symbols:

1. Mkeka or mat: It represents the historical and cultural foundations for people to build their lives.
2. Kinara or candle holder: It is thought to be a reference to the African continent.
3. Mazao or crops: It represents the fruits of collective labor. People place nuts, fruits, and vegetables to represent Mazao.
4. Muhindi or corn: It signifies fertility and the idea that children bring to life hopes for the future.
5. Mishumaa Saba or The Seven Candles: These are ceremonial objects to be lit one on each day. There are three colors red, green, and black. They signify the principles or values to live by.
6. Kikombe Cha Umoja or The Unity Cup: It is a symbol to signify togetherness. On the sixth day, every family member and guest drinks from the cup as a sign of unity and remembrance.
7. Zawadi or gifts: On the seventh day, gifts are given to appreciate growth, creativity, purpose, and self-determination. Handmade and educational gifts, as well as culturally themed products or art, are encouraged.

On December 31, families gather for a community feast called the karamu. Some wear traditional African clothing during the celebrations. Often, the ceremonies include drumming and readings of the African Pledge.

The recent intense commercialization of the festival in the 1990s has led to concerns that the core values of the celebration are damaged. In 1997, Kwanzaa was given an official presidential declaration by Bill Clinton. The US Postal Service has also issued Kwanzaa stamps since 1997.