While it’s not the biggest holiday on our radar this season, the African holiday, Kwanzaa, is celebrated by millions all across the nation. It’s a perfect holiday for this season with it’s focuses on family, community and culture.

Like the winter solstice, the celebration of “first fruits” is ancient and dates back to Egypt and Nubia in Africa. Kwanzaa’s name comes from, “Matunda ya Kwanzaa” meaning “first fruits” in Swahili. Kwanzaa celebrations last 7 days; observed from December 26 to January 1 each year.

The principles of Kwanzaa are incredibly powerful and meaningful. They focus on not only building ones self, but also family and community. Each of the 7 days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to a specific principle.

The Principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba):

• Umoja (Unity): Re-affirming unity of family and community, as well as nation, and race.
• Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.
• 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 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 people to traditional greatness.
• Kuumba (Creativity): To always do 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 people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

No matter what your race, religion or background, the principles of Kwanzaa are values we can all support. They not only are building blocks for ourselves, our family and community, but serve to reinforce and enhance them. [Read more…]