Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday that honors African-American people and the richness of African heritage. The holiday was enacted in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, an African-American teacher. His intention was to provide all people of African heritage (including Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin, and African-American) with a holiday to celebrate their history, family, community, customs, and culture in America.

The word Kwanzaa is taken from the Swahili phrase "Matunda YaKwanza" -- which means "first fruits of the harvest." Dr. Karenga added the extra "a" at the end of Kzonnzan so the word would have seven letters to go with the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The first harvest is a time for great celebration in many regions of Africa. So like the harvest, Kwanzaa is an exciting and joyful occasion for the gathering of family and friends, that includes story-telling, food, music, and dancing at home, church, or in school. It is also the time to remember the good and important things that have taken place during the past year; tell about the work we must do to make even better things; and give thanks for one another.

The Kwanzaa celebration begins on December 26th and continues for seven days, ending on January 1. Each day a candle representing one of the seven principles is lit. The seven candles are held in a Kinarn (kee-NAH-rah) -- a wooden candleholder. A black candle is placed in the middle, and is the first candle to be lit. There are three red candles to the left and three green candles to the right, each alternately lit on the remaining six days. These colors represent the African-American flag. Black represents the people; red symbolizes their struggles; and green stands for the future.

Kwanzaa is a relatively new African-American celebration, yet it is based on ancient African harvest festivals and customs. Legend tells us that one of the first harvest celebrations involved a great Black man and leader in Egypt named Khnemu.

Together with his wife, Sati, and their son, Nubti, Khnemu worked hard to understand how the sun helps food grow. This is family unity, or Umoja (oo-MOHjah). He and his family wanted Africans to be strong and able to provide for themselves, a type of self-determination known as Kujichagulia (koo-JEE-chah-goo-LEE-ah). They worked together with others, demonstrating Ujima (oo-JEE-mah) and shared their harvest, thereby practicing Ujamaa (oo-jah-MAH).

Because the people of Africa had purpose, or Nia (NEE-ah), they were able to work hard and bring in good harvest. The celebration that followed was full of Kuumba (koo-OOMbah), or creativity and Imani (ee-MAH-nee), or faith. People danced and sang and expressed their African selves. As they grew older, individuals learned how to live as good Africans by listening to their elders.

Now, each year at Kwanzaa, African-Americans come together to remember that they need to work hard in unity and take care of the needs of their people. At each celebration, they remember the sun because it represents the "Seven Principles."