The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa

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December 26 marks the start of Kwanzaa, also spelled Kwanza.

Seven principles of Kwanzaa

It’s a seven-day non-religious holiday observed in the US, meant to honor African Americans‘ ancestral roots. The celebration lasts until January 1.

The name comes from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.”

Created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, a Black nationalist and professor of Pan-African studies at California State University at Long Beach, Kwanzaa became popular in the 1980s and 1990s in conjunction with the black power movement.

The holiday is defined by Nguzo Saba, or the seven principles.

Each day they light a candle to highlight the principle of that day and to breathe meaning into the principles with various activities, such as reciting the sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, reciting original poetry, African drumming, and sharing a meal of African diaspora-inspired foods.

Here are the seven principles of Kwanzaa: