Kwanzaa is a beloved African American cultural celebration that is observed annually between December 26 and January 1. The celebration draws from various African harvest festivals and blends elements of continental African culture, African American history and traditional African values.
In 1966, Dr. Maulana Karenga created the holiday as a way to encourage African American families to reconnect with and celebrate their unique heritage. Kwanzaa has gained prominence in the United States and throughout the African diaspora thanks to its guiding principles that honor African roots and by promoting community gatherings and an uplifting, communal spirit.
“The love, food and camaraderie were fantastic,” says Baba Imamu Kuumba, who serves as the treasurer of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIACL) in Washington D.C, of his first Kwanzaa celebration in 1972. “People shared their ideas about a lot of things that affect our people, locally, nationally and internationally.”
Kwanzaa also emerged as a contrast to the increased consumerism surrounding traditional holidays, says John El-Badr, the director of the Heritage Gallery of the Thurgood Marshall Center in Washington, D.C. For example, El-Badr says he grew up in a Black community where his grandparents gave children fruits and nuts as Christmas gifts because that’s all they could afford.
“Kwanzaa was a blessing to me because it wasn’t commercial,” he says. “During Kwanzaa, if you give a gift, it has to be hand-made.”
Although Kwanzaa is traditionally celebrated by families with African roots, any family can celebrate the spirit of Kwanzaa this holiday season and beyond. Here are the traditions, symbols and principles you need to know about the celebration.
What is the history of Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa emerged in the mid-1960s after the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, developed the celebration to build solidarity within the African American community and a stronger connection to African history. He founded US, a cultural organization, and crafted Kwanzaa to reflect “first fruits” celebrations found in various countries in Africa.
The word Kwanzaa comes from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili.
While Kwanzaa has spread to various countries around the globe including France, England and Brazil, Dr. Karenga’s reputation has remained sullied by an assault charge from the early 1970s. Speaking to Karenga’s past and the celebration of the holiday, Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman, a retired professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida A&M University, says, “We can appreciate gifts and understand that they come from imperfect people.”
Although a small percentage of the African American population actively celebrates Kwanzaa, interest in the holiday is deepening as more African Americans are exploring their family traditions and lineage through sources like African Ancestry, which boasts “the industry’s largest and most comprehensive database of over 30,000 Indigenous African DNA samples.”
What are the 7 symbols of Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa centers on culture and community and is rich in symbolism. The visual focal point of the celebration is Mkeka, a mat that is accentuated with symbols.
- Mkeka, the mat, symbolizes history and tradition that serve as the foundation of the community.
- Mazao, the crops, represent the first fruits that are brought to the community.
- Kikombe cha Umoja, the unity cup, represents the foundational principle of unity.
- Muhindi, the corn, symbolizes children who represent the future. Each ear of corn is meant to represent the number of children in the household. If there are none, at least two are placed on the mat.
- Kinara, the candle holder, represents the African ancestors that uphold the community.
- Zawadi, the gifts, tangibly represent the commitments participants make during the celebration. Children are usually the recipients of the gifts which include a book and a cultural heritage present.
- Mishumaa Saba, the seven candles, represent seven principles that particularly undergird and uplift communities of African descent.
How is Kwanzaa celebrated?
Although all Kwanzaa celebrations are filled with food, family and the lighting of the Kinara (candleholder), how communities celebrate the holiday varies. These diverse communal traditions are commonly filled with African drumming, dancing, inspirational messages, storytelling, learning about heritage, crafts and of course — a feast. Children can get involved with ceremonial holiday tasks, like lighting the Kinara and displaying the symbols on the Mkeka.
When writer Tisha Watson was raising her three children in Jersey City, New Jersey, she intentionally celebrated the holiday with them to instill a sense of pride in their heritage. On the final day of Kwanzaa, “The children would light each of the seven candles and say the name of the principle that each candle represented,” says Watson.
“My sister friends and I would rotate the celebrations from one person’s home to the others,” she adds, noting that the rotations allowed them to get to know each other's families, which is “that first principle of unity. Everybody just comes together.” Watson says their celebrations included honoring the ancestors, eating, dancing, and listening to Sweet Honey In The Rock and classic James Brown. The kids and the adults would celebrate together, often until past midnight.
Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday but a cultural celebration that celebrates seven principles known as the Nguzo Saba.
Each principle is highlighted on one of the seven days of the holiday and relates to the Mishumaa Saba:
What activities should I do on Kwanzaa?
Various cities host Kwanzaa activities. You can either find one to participate in or create your own. Colorado Public Radio (CPR) host Chandra Thomas Whitfield does both. Since her sons — now 10 and 12 — were toddlers, she and her husband have made participation in Kwanzaa activities a part of their family’s annual traditions. “I’ll literally get the calendar out and say ‘Okay, we’re going to go to this event and this one,” says Whitfield, who regularly takes her sons to events hosted by the Denver Public Library. She appreciates the library’s commitment to child-centered activities, noting that “A lot of the events incorporate poetry, recitation and drawing.” Attendees are invited to wear African attire, which is a big draw for children who want to reconnect with their African heritage.
The year 2024 will mark the third time Whitfield has co-hosted the Colorado Matters Holiday Extravaganza with CPR. The annual event, which is recorded in front of a live audience, is like a variety show. “It’s a cross-cultural event,” she says. “So we talk about Christmas, we talk about Hanukkah, we talk about Kwanzaa.” This year’s show features comedy, poetry and live singing. For Whitfield, it’s critical that people learn not just what Kwanzaa is, but how to celebrate it in December and year-round.
Here are some things you can do to celebrate:
- Set a Kwanzaa table. Make your Kwanzaa table the central focus of your celebrations. Its dazzling symbolism is meaningful and essential to celebrating the holiday. Need ideas? Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa is a New Jersey-based business that sells Kwanzaa accessories, gifts, candle sets and more.
- Light candles. There is something incandescent about flickering lights against the night sky. Kwanzaa is celebrated over seven nights, with one candle being lit each night. Begin with the black candle in the center, and then alternate lighting a red and green candle each evening to represent each of Kwanzaa’s seven principles. Discuss the principle it symbolizes and how it can apply to your family’s life.
- Reflect and set goals. During Kwanzaa’s seven days, take time as a family to reflect on each daily principle – unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Discuss how you can incorporate them into your daily lives. Set goals and intentions for the coming year based on these principles.
- Learn your family’s history. The collective acts of defining, naming and learning about one’s history are central components of Kwanzaa. Giving and making books, especially to children, during Kwanzaa are ways community elders pass on their distinct family history and heritage to younger generations.
What do you eat during Kwanzaa?
- Savor African-inspired dishes. Taste the world on your plate by trying African-inspired dishes, some of which can be found in your local grocery store aisle. For example, AYO Foods sells West African dishes like jollof rice, cassava leaf stew and egusi seed soup at select Target and Fresh Market stores.
- Explore regional African flavors. If you like to cook at home, try recipes from regional cookbooks like The East African Cookbook by Shereen Jog, Saka Saka: Adventures in African Cooking South of the Sahara by Anto Cocagne and Aline Princet or Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia to start.
- Discover and try family recipes. Many American Kwanzaa recipes mirror modern Southern cooking. Shrimp creole, Jamaican “Jerk” chicken, mac-n-cheese, skillet cornbread and Black-eyed peas are among the best Kwanzaa dishes.
- Cherish Caribbean and Spanish foodways. Kwanzaa’s global influence can be tasted by combining African, Spanish and Caribbean flavors to make fried plantains. Maduros, also known as fried plantains, are caramelized and crispy on the outside while retaining their sweet yummy texture inside. Pair the fried plantains with rice and beans and Jamaican jerk chicken for a hearty meal.
How to celebrate the spirit of Kwanzaa year-round
Kwanzaa is an annual, weeklong gathering. Everyone can honor its principles throughout the year. Here are a few straightforward activities to start.
- Take a family field trip. Travel along the “United States Civil Rights Trail,” which consists of a series of landmarks (churches, courthouses, schools and museums) across 15 states that played an essential role in advancing social justice in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Plan or attend a family reunion. Usually held during the summer, family reunions are wonderful opportunities for multi-generations and different branches of the family tree to get to know each other and have fun. It’s also a fantastic chance to get to know elderly family members who contain a wealth of family history and stories.
- Support Black-owned businesses. Embody Ujamaa by supporting local, Black-owned businesses.
- Listen to Black podcasts. African American podcasts address local and national issues like education, the economy, and health care through a distinct lens. They offer conversation and solutions. Among some of the most popular podcasts are: While Black, Black History Year, LeVar Burton Reads, Therapy for Black Girls and The Mama’s Den.
Bio: Chanté Griffin is a Los Angeles-based journalist whose work centers the intersection of race, faith, and culture. Chanté is a contributing writer for _Faithfully Magazine, L.A. Parent, and a former contributing writer for The Root. She sometimes tweets at @yougochante.
Winner of the New York Times Award for Outstanding Journalism, Kerra Bolton has explored how communities navigate growth and change for 25 years. Her work has covered the impact of U.S. immigration on small Mexican towns, a hospital in rural South Africa dealing with an AIDS crisis post-apartheid, and the rebuilding of a Honduran village after a hurricane ravaged the region. Kerra spends her time in the Mexican Caribbean, learning to swim, dive, and map sunken slave ships. She is also the author of the book Restorative Communities: From Conflict to Conversation.
