Day 13. Kwanzaa: Honoring African Diaspora and Community Light.

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African cultural holiday observed from December 26 through January 1. The name is derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning “first fruits,” and is inspired by the various harvest festivals held across the African continent. It was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, intended to provide a time for people of African descent to reaffirm their ancestral roots and cultural values during a time of intense tension, marked by the Watts riots and divisions within the Civil Rights and Black Freedom Movements.

Is Kwanzaa For You?

While Kwanzaa is meaningful for many, it also has its share of complexities and critiques. Some people raise concerns about the holiday’s origins, including the controversial history of its founder, and the way it can sometimes present Africa and African cultures in oversimplified or idealized ways. Others note tensions between Kwanzaa’s early messaging and the long, rich tradition of Black Christianity in the United States, as well as how modern, commercialized observances may depart from its original, community-centered and anti-capitalist intentions. In some settings, Kwanzaa has also been adopted in symbolic or performative ways, used to signal inclusion without deeper relationship, accountability, or structural change. It is important to hold these realities alongside the values Kwanzaa seeks to highlight, and to approach the holiday with humility, nuance, and respect for the diversity of Black experiences.

The Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles in Swahili)

Kwanzaa focuses on the Nguzo Saba (Seven Principles), which are ideals meant to guide daily life and strengthen the community. Each of the seven days is dedicated to one principle, and on that day, a candle is lit on the Kinara (candle holder) and the principle is discussed. The principles are:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems and to solve them together.
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
Kuumba (Creativity): 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.
Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Light Through Principle

The core rituals, such as lighting the seven candles (Mishumaa Saba), reinforce the idea that true light and hope are generated through collective principle and action, not just the solar cycle. The celebration culminates on the final day, January 1, with a communal feast called Karamu and the giving of meaningful gifts (Zawadi). For Unitarian Universalists, Kwanzaa is a powerful expression of our commitment to the worth and dignity of all people, the goal of justice and compassion, and the need for a free and responsible search for truth and meaning in community.

Reflection: Which of the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) speaks most clearly to a challenge or goal in your life right now?