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Introducing the Holiday of Kwanzaa:
A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture
Founded by Dr. Mualena
Karenga, then chairman of black studies at California State University in Long
Beach, Kwanzaa focuses on seven core principles, expressed in Swahili as Nguzo
Saba (nn-Goo-zoh SAH-bah). Each principle is linked with one of the seven
days of the celebration, which runs from December 26 through January 1 each
year. Listed in order of observance, the principles are:
Each
candle represents one of the seven principles/days of Kwanzaa.
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Umoja
(Unity) - December 26th: To strive for and maintain unity in the
family, community, nation and race. |
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Kujichagulia
(Self-Determination) - December 27th: To define ourselves, name
ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. |
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Ujima
(Collective Work and Responsibility) - December 28th: To build and
maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's
problems our problems and to solve them together. |
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Ujamaa
(Cooperative Economics) - December 29th: To build and maintain our
own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. |
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Nia
(Purpose) - December 30th: To make our collective vocation the
building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to
their traditional greatness. |
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Kuumba
(Creativity) - December 31st: To do always as much as we can, in
the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and
beneficial than we inherited it. |
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Imani
(Faith) - January 1st: To believe with all our heart in our people,
our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory
of our struggle. |
Visit the official website of Kwanzaa
here for more.
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