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Kwanzaa is an African-American secular holiday that celebrates social values and family. It is celebrated from December 26 till the 1st of January. The holiday is ended with seven principles.
Origination of Kwanzaa:
To support the Black Freedom Movement professor and chairman Dr. Maulana Kerenga of Black Studies at California State University established Kwanzaa. Dr. Kerenga wanted to strengthen the African-American community.
In the Swahili language, the phrase “matunda ya Kwanzaa” means “first fruits”. Swahili is the most spoken language in an African community.
Celebration of Kwanzaa:
Families celebrate Kwanzaa by singing, dancing, playing African drums, storytelling, and reading poems. They make their traditional meal and have dinner. Each day of the celebration is linked to a specific principle and is marked by lighting a candle.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa Day are:
Umoja:
It means unity.
Kujichagulia:
It means self-determination.
Ujima:
It is referred to collective work and responsibility.
To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together,.
Karenga writes
Ujamaa:
It means cooperative economics.
To build and maintain our stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together,
Karenga writes
Nia:
It means purpose.
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Karenga said
Kuumba:
It means creativity.
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
Karenga defines this principle as
Imani:
It is referred to faith.
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
Karenga defines this as faith in community and writes
