Kwanzaa

Home > ... > Sports and Everyday Life > Days and Holidays > Days, Months, Holidays, and Festivals > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa or Kwanza , secular seven-day festival in celebration of the African heritage of African Americans, beginning on Dec. 26. Developed by Maulana Karenga and first observed in 1966, Kwanzaa is based in part on traditional African harvest festivals but particularly emphasizes the role of the family and community in African-American culture. Each day is dedicated to a particular principle (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith), and on each day one of the candles on a seven-branched candelabrum is lighted. The celebration also includes the giving of gifts and a karamu, or African feast.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Kwanzaa" title="Facts and information about Kwanzaa">Kwanzaa</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"Kwanzaa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Kwanzaa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kwanzaa.html

"Kwanzaa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kwanzaa.html

Learn more about citation styles

Kwanzaa

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Kwanzaa a secular festival observed by many African Americans from 26 December to 1 January as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values. The name comes from Kiswahili matunda ya kwanza, literally ‘first fruits (of the harvest)’.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O214-Kwanzaa" title="Facts and information about Kwanzaa">Kwanzaa</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Kwanzaa." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Kwanzaa." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (December 27, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Kwanzaa.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Kwanzaa." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved December 27, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Kwanzaa.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	KWANZAA Becomes $700 Million Business.(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Ebony; 12/1/2000
	Kwanzaa celebrations fizzle.(News) Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 12/20/2009
	Kwanzaa celebrations continue, but boom is over News Wire article from: AP Online; 12/17/2009

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	Kwanzaa ORIGINS Newspaper article from: Tri-State Defender; 1/6/1999; 700+ words ; Tri-State Defender 01-06-1999 KWANZAA ORIGINS Kwanzaa was introduced by Dr. Maulana Karenga, now a professor...studies at California State University at Long Beach. Kwanzaa derived from the Kiswahili word, Kawanza, which means...
	Kwanzaa Belongs To Us, Don't Let Them Commercialize It Newspaper article from: Philadelphia Tribune, The; 1/25/1994; ; 700+ words ; ...Philadelphia Tribune, The 01-25-1994 Kwanzaa Belongs To Us; Don't Let Them Commercialize It. During this past Kwanzaa season, Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, millions of African-Americans participated in Kwanzaa celebrations in homes, schools, churches...
	Kwanzaa Newspaper article from: Tennessee TRIBUNE, The; 12/30/1998; 700+ words ; Tennessee TRIBUNE, The 12-30-1998 KWANZAA Kwanzaa was introduced by Dr. Maulana Karenga, now a professor of black studies at California State University at Long Beach. Kwanzaa derives from the Kiswahili word, Kawanza, which means...
	KWANZAA Becomes $700 Million Business.(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Ebony; 12/1/2000; 700+ words ; ...African-American celebration called Kwanzaa. "They laughed at me," recalls Rhodan...them Black people weren't interested in Kwanzaa, that Black people still wanted traditional...Christmas cards and decorations, and that Kwanzaa was a fad. I tried to tell them that...
	KWANZAA Newspaper article from: Roanoke Times & World News; 12/19/2005; ; 700+ words ; ...Roanoker Amazetta Anderson is a KFLer, or Kwanzaa for Lifer. More than 20 years ago, she...Christmas. She still hopes the message of Kwanzaa will reach more people, especially young...Anderson and others in the Roanoke Valley, Kwanzaa is a way to live your life every day...
	Kwanzaa: A Celebration With a Difference. Magazine article from: American Visions; 12/1/1999; ; 700+ words ; It was at the first Kwanzaa celebration--observed in 1966 by...that ceremony, the seven-letter word Kwanzaa required that seven children participate...the seven-day occasion. Nowadays, Kwanzaa, held December 26 to January 1, follows...
	Kwanzaa celebration begins: Holiday observes seven important life principles. Newspaper article from: Dominion Post (Morgantown, WV); 12/26/2006; 700+ words ; ...Byline: J. Miles Layton Dec. 26--Kwanzaa is a celebration of African culture that...for the WVU Center for Black Culture. Kwanzaa, a nonreligious African-American holiday...to Jan. 1, according to the official Kwanzaa Web site. Each day, one candle is lit...
	Kwanzaa ushers in new holiday season Newspaper article from: Beacon News, The (Aurora, IL); 12/27/2003; ; 700+ words ; ...fourth annual citywide celebration of Kwanzaa at the Aurora Township Youth Activities...of another, lesser-known holiday. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration of family...choirs and rappers. They ate a traditional Kwanzaa meal, which is made up of food eaten...
	KWANZAA CELEBRATIONS GROWING AND EVOLVING.(Life and Arts) Newspaper article from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA); 12/28/2001; 700+ words ; ...overshadow everything in its path, Kwanzaa, a seven-day celebration that begins...and other accessories." The word Kwanzaa comes from the Kiswahili phrase for first fruits, matunda ya kwanza. Kwanzaa promotes seven principles: unity...
	Kwanzaa's message hits home Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe; 12/30/1994; ; 700+ words ; ...abound in Boston and across the nation that Kwanzaa has gained a foothold in the consciousness...are two of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, a cultural celebration that started...celebrated by the black intellectual elite, Kwanzaa has evolved over the last three decades...