What is Kwanzaa?

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Every year, I tell myself this is the year that my family and I will observe Kwanzaa.  What is Kwanzaa?  Kwanzaa is an African-American cultural holiday which originated in 1966, created by Dr. Maulana Karenga.  Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26th - Jan. 1. Each day of the celebration focuses on one of seven principles ("Nguzo Saba").  "Kwanzaa" is taken from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits." Surprisingly, Sesame Street did an episode on Kwanzaa that is simple to understand, and shows how a family applied the principles in their family.

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

December 26^th - Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

December 27^th- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.

December 28^th-  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.

December 29^th -  Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.

December 30^th- Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

December 31^st- 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.

January 1^st- Imani (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in God, our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Today, December 26, 2012, my family and I spent much needed family time.  Quiet, restful down time after the holidays, and hosting out of town family and friends.  We played board games, assembled Christmas gifts and ended the day with family date night.  At dinner, we discussed our three major accomplishments for 2012, and what we would like to accomplish as a family in 2013.  This may not be the pure sense of the principle Umoja (Unity), but its a great start!  This is a great opportunity to reflect on the principles of Kwanzaa (even if you are not African American), and really define what Kwanzaa can mean to you and your family!