Notes

Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday celebrated in the United States and other countries by people of African descent. It is celebrated from December 26 to January 1 each year. The celebration is dedicated to honoring African culture and working together as a community. Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Mualana Kareng. Kareng was an African studies professor at California State University. According to him, Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili language and means "first fruit'.' Kareng wanted to create a holiday for AfricanAmericans as a way for them to reconnect with their heritage. The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red, and green. These colors are seen in decorations such as African pieces of art, baskets, and cloth. Millions of African-Americans wear African clothes during Kwanzaa and decorate their homes with fruit and vegetables. Each day, a family will celebrate one of seven different principles of their African heritage, such as unity, faith, and community. Then, they light a candle. The candles are put on a candleholder called a "Kinara."The middle candle is black, the three candles on one side of the Kinara are red, and the other three candles are green. On the sixth day of Kwanzaa, families remember their ancestors and get together for a big dinner called a "Kara mu:' Traditional African-American dishes, which include chicken, fish, rice, beans, peas, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables are served. Like Christmas, there are gifts which are exchanged on the seventh day. Books are always included because they symbolize the importance of learning about history and tradition. Kwanzaa is a way of celebrating the end of the year by honoring African culture and traditions and to start the new year with family members as well as the community.