What is Kwanzaa? How to celebrate the African-American holiday
By: Callum Denault
Published on: November 22nd, 2024
Alongside the winter classics of Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve, some Canadians celebrate a fourth holiday in December called Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa is a holiday that allows Black Americans and Canadians to celebrate their African heritage in North America. It is a modern holiday invented by Dr. Maulana Karenga and the American Black nationalist group US Organization. The holiday’s inception was a response to the extreme racist violence they witnessed during the 1965 Watts riots.
Kwanzaa is celebrated over seven days, from December 26 to January 1. Despite the holiday originating from civil unrest, it is a time for families to come together through food, laughter, and dance. Kwanzaa is intended for all Black people in North America to celebrate. This includes families who have been in this continent for generations and those who recently arrived here from Africa or other parts of the world.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa: Why this holiday matters
Millions of people in the Black community celebrate Kwanzaa, arranging daily ceremonies of food, decorations, and often expressions of African culture such as dancing and music. It is more than just a holiday for Black people; it is an acknowledgement that Black history is worth recognition, respect, and continued study. This is an especially important thing to proudly acknowledge in the U.S. and Canada, two countries that continuously struggle with the ongoing history of anti-Black racism.
Coming from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means “first fruits,” Kwanzaa has seven principles named after Swahili words. These principles define the holiday’s purpose and philosophy. Each of these principles is celebrated on its own day in the order listed below. As reported by CNN and the official Kwanzaa website, the seven principles are:
Umoja – is unity in family, community, race, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia – is the self-determination to define ourselves, name ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
Ujima – is the collective responsibility to come together as a family and solve the problems of our comrades.
Ujamaa is similar to Ujima and is defined by Karenga as cooperative economics. It means creating and supporting a community’s local businesses to share the wealth they bring in and profit together.
Nia – is someone’s purpose.
Kuumba – is the creativity to do as much as possible for one’s community and leave it more prosperous than it used to be.
Finally is Imani – which translates to faith.
How to celebrate Kwanzaa for the first time
There is no proper way to celebrate Kwanzaa, and families are encouraged to be creative with how they choose to enjoy the holiday. That being said, there are guidelines and some customs central to the Kwanzaa tradition. These customs may prove helpful in celebrating the holiday to its fullest.
Just as there are seven principles of Kwanzaa, the holiday also has seven symbols. These symbols are objects that serve some role in physically representing the celebration. The most important of these is the Kinara. This candle holder contains the Mishumaa, which are seven candles lit one by one for each day of Kwanzaa. Some of the other symbols include gifts and food, chosen in some way to honour the labour that created them and usually tied into African culture.
The philosophy behind Kwanzaa can even be celebrated at work. One way is by expressing Umoja to create unity with coworkers or using Kuumba to be more creative in completing tasks. You can also wish your friends who celebrate Kwanzaa a happy holiday with the traditional Swahili greeting, “Heri za Kwanzaa!” which translates to “Happy Kwanzaa!”
You also do not have to only practice the principles of Kwanzaa during the seven-day holiday. The family connections and moral storytelling of holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah that follow their adherents throughout the year similarly follow Kwanzaa celebrators.
For this holiday season, you can consider incorporating Kwanzaa principles into your celebrations. And for those who already practice, “Heri za Kwanzaa!”