OSHKOSH, WI- (WISS) – Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African celebration that starts on December 26th and lasts through January 1st. According to its founder Dr. Maulana Karenga, “Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.”

Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 as a seven-day cultural festival that celebrates Seven Principles: Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith.

According to OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org, participants celebrate Kwanzaa with feasts, music, dance, poetry, and stories. The holiday is wrapped up with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to The Seven Principles.

Dr. Alphonso Simpson, Jr. is the Director of African American Studies, Associate Professor – Dept. of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and Vice-President of the National Council for Black Studies. He explains the celebration is based on “first fruit celebrations” throughout Africa from ancient and modern times.

“It’s a celebration of family, a celebration of community and culture, and is rooted in raising up and bringing forth the ancient African model of cultivating harvest and sharing good in the world,” Simpson said. “It’s really about sharing good in the world.” Simpson 1

Kwanzaa explained

Simpson breaks down The Seven Principles as follows: “There’s Umoja which stands for Unity. There’s Kujichagulia which stands for Self Determination. There’s Ujima which stands for collective work and responsibility. Then there’s Ujamaa which stands for cooperative economics. There’s Nia which stands for purpose. There’s Kuumba which stands for creativity, and, lastly, there’s Imani which stands for faith.”

Simpson says each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is celebrated by honoring and learning about one of the Seven Principles.

“All of these, they go hand in hand. As there are seven principles, there’s seven days. From December the 26th to January 1st, and each day is celebrated following those principles,” he said.

Candles are a part of the Kwanzaa celebration. Each day, a new candle is lit, starting with the black candle in the center, which represents all people of African descent. Then, the candle lighting alternates between the red candles on the left and the green candles on the right. The red candles represent the blood of the ancestors. The green candles represent life, land, and the future.

Simpson said he could create an entire lecture series on Kwanzaa, why it’s celebrated, and the meanings behind the symbolism and traditions. “There’s so many factors that go into it. Not just the principles, but there’s also this fruit that is used and different colors that have symbolic meaning. There are different pieces of the tradition of Kwanzaa, including the candles and when they’re lit. Just like the menorah, we have candles that are lit. There are three green ones, three red ones, and one black one that is in the middle. And those colors mean a lot. It’s interesting when you consider it, it just all is very much symbolic of our ancestral roots.”

Much like the other winter holidays, joining together for a meal is an important part of the festivities. He said that everyone brings something to share in the collective feast called Karamu, which is usually held on December 31st.

Simpson said Kwanzaa is a way for all African Americans to connect to their heritage, their past, and their futures.

“Giving Americans of African descent something to hold on to because what we have always been committed to is never leaving our cultural memory or our roots,” Simpson explained. “When we were taken from the continent of Africa and brought here, we were stripped of everything–except our cultural memory. That could not be taken away. And so we held onto those principles. And it’s not just in Kwanzaa, but it even ties over into everything that we do and that we are today.”

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