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By GRAHAM LEE BREWER, Associated Press
Since its inception in 1966, Kwanzaa has gained recognition across the United States as a celebration of African heritage and community spirit. This holiday, although primarily centered in the U.S., is also observed in other nations with significant African-descendant populations.
The holiday is a week-long event, running from December 26 to January 1, designed to bolster self-reliance and solidarity against historical adversities. Celebrations range from grand city-hosted gatherings to intimate family and community events, underscoring its widespread appeal.
Over the years, Kwanzaa’s popularity has flourished, with a 2019 AP-NORC survey indicating that 3% of Americans participate in the celebrations. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama have each acknowledged the holiday through official statements, and in 1997, the U.S. Postal Service introduced a series of Kwanzaa stamps, although it remains outside the roster of federal holidays.
Kwanzaa’s origins
Rooted in the 1960s Black Freedom Movement, Kwanzaa was conceived as a means to reconnect African Americans with vital cultural traditions disrupted by the trans-Atlantic slave trade, while also emphasizing unity and empowerment.
Maulana Karenga, the originator of Kwanzaa, highlighted in his 2023 address that the celebration was forged amid a pivotal era of global struggles for freedom and justice during the 1960s. “Kwanzaa thus came into being, grounded itself and grew as an act of freedom, an instrument of freedom, a celebration of freedom, and a practice of freedom,” he noted, underlining its foundation in the quest for liberation.
Karenga, an African American author, activist and professor, founded Kwanzaa following the Watts Riots, also known as the Watts Rebellion, in Los Angeles in 1965.
Karenga described Kwanzaa as a “political-motivator holiday” in an interview with Henry Lewis Gates Jr. for PBS.
“The idea is for African and African descended people to come together around family, community and culture so we can be in spaces where, in Dr. Karenga’s words, we feel fully African and fully human at the same time,” said Janine Bell, president and artistic director at the Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Virginia.
The basics
Many people who observe Kwanzaa, which is a secular holiday, celebrate it alongside religious festivals such as Christmas. People of any faith, race or ethnic background can participate.
The name Kwanzaa derives from “mutanda ya kwanza” a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits” or “first harvest.” The final “a” was added to the name to accommodate the seven children present at the first Kwanzaa, each of whom was given a letter to represent.
The holiday is governed by seven principles, known collectively as the Nguzo Saba, and a different principle is celebrated each day: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).
The Nguzo Saba is represented by a candleholder with seven candles called a kinara. Each night, one of those candles is lit. The candles are the same colors as the Kwanzaa flag: Black representing the people, red their struggle and green their hope.
Large Kwanzaa celebrations happen across the country every year in cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit. These events often feature storytellers, music and dance.
The holiday is also observed in individual homes, often focusing on children because they are key to the survival of culture and the development of community. This concept of children and the future they embody is often represented symbolically by corn.
“The intention is that it’s 365 (days a year),” Bell said. “The need for the principles and the strengthening value of the principles don’t go away on January 2nd.”
Family celebrations also involve giving gifts and sharing African American and Pan African foods, culminating in the Karamu, a feast featuring dishes from across the African diaspora. Typical meals include staples of Southern cuisine like sweet potato pie or popular dishes from Africa like jollof rice.
Activities over the seven days are geared toward reaffirming community bonds, commemorating the past and recommitting to important African cultural ideals. This can include dancing, reading poetry, honoring ancestors and the daily lighting of the kinara.
