What Is Kwanzaa and How Is It Celebrated?

Kwanzaa is a holiday that was started by Dr. Malenga Karenga in 1966. The reason that he felt a need to start a brand new holiday was because he felt that African Americans that lived outside of the continent of Africa were detached from the values and the culture of the continent of Africa. And he wanted them to feel good about themselves and to have something that they could connect to to make their lives better. Kwanzaa is actually derived from a Kiswahili word meaning first harvest. All through the continent of Africa and many other places people celebrate the harvest. They give thanks for the harvest. So Kwanzaa really means first fruits or harvest time. Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday. It's a cultural holiday which means that you can celebrate whatever your tradition is and still enjoy Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is observed the day after Christmas which means you could still celebrate Christmas from December 26th all the way through January 1st, New Year's Day for seven days. So the seven days you're actually celebrating and thinking about seven principles. Those seven principles are called the Nguza Saba. The seven principles of Kwanzaa are Umoja, unity, Kuchishangolia, self-determination, Ujima, collective work and responsibility, Ujamaa, cooperative economics, Nia, purpose, Koumba, creativity, and last but not least, Imani faith. Those are seven principles that everyone can use to have a better life. It doesn't matter if you're African American. It doesn't matter where you're from. These seven principles will help you to be a better human being and also help to make the world a better place. The candelabra for Kwanzaa is called a Kinura. It is seven candles that represent again the seven principles. So the middle candle is black that represents the people. Then you have three candles representing the blood and then three candles that represent the earth or the hard work that you do. I think that what resonates with people about this holiday is that it really is a holiday that makes you look within and then connect with the people around you. So part of Kwanzaa also is looking at your relationships, people who you might need to ask forgiveness from, people who you might need to forgive. The Kwanzaa celebration at the American Museum of Natural History is literally the largest Kwanzaa celebration in the United States. Thousands and thousands of people come in to see the Kwanzaa celebration. And as a storyteller, I am just proud and every year I look forward to coming and sharing with everyone about Kwanzaa. We have about 10,000 people that come together to celebrate every year with shows that include performances as well as storytelling and teaching about the principles and all of the, you know, nature of the holiday of Kwanzaa, as well as a popular marketplace that opens for artisans to come and sell the wares at the museum for just one day. And you see people of every ethnicity, every race, every religion coming together to celebrate love, to celebrate culture, to celebrate the great and rich contribution of African Americans and the African diaspora. What's wonderful about Kwanzaa for everyone is that it gives everyone the opportunity to learn a little bit more about African American history, which is American history. Then we also get the opportunity to be with family and share personal stories. So when people of any ethnicity come together and they hear these stories, it helps them to understand one another better.