Kwanzaa. Know what it is? Sounds a little like the latest puzzle game to hit the market, "Kwanzaa - A Game of Suspense and Strategy!" Or maybe something from space, "Astronomy 101, Chapter 11: Quasars and Kwanzaa". In actuality, the meaning of the word is a little fruity...that is if you speak Swahili.

Kwanzaa is an American invention, the practices of which are based on ancient African harvest festivals called first-fruits celebrations. The name Kwanzaa come from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits". There are five characteristics common to many African harvest festivals (ingathering, reverence, commemoration, recommitment, and celebration) that Kwanzaa incorporates in its holiday. Kwanzaa, a secular celebration, is a week long event occurring annually from December 26 through January 1st.

Created in 1966, Kwanzaa is the brain child of Dr. Maulana Karenga, the Department of Black Studies chairman and professor at California State University, Long Beach. Karenga, also a leading Black Nationalist and political activist, established Kwanzaa as a cultural holiday to celebrate African American heritage, family, and community. According to the official web site, the purpose of Kwanzaa is "to reaffirm and restore our rootedness in African culture", "to serve as a regular communal celebration to reaffirm and reinforce the bonds between us as a people", and "to introduce and reinforce the Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles)."

Many feel Kerenga intended Kwanzaa to be an alternative to Christmas and meant it to only be celebrated by African Americans. The time period in which Kwanzaa came about gives context to what may have been his initial aim. The creation of Kwanzaa was a direct result of the civil rights movement and cultural struggles going on during the 1960's. As an activist, Karenga set out to gain the attention of all African Americans and bring them together with a celebration of their black culture. Over the years he has refuted the idea Kwanzaa was developed to sabotage Christmas and has revised his statements on the intentions of the holiday. In 1997, Karenga altered his original position, saying Kwanza can be celebrated by people of any race, culture, religion or faith. Many people today in fact do celebrate both Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Each day of Kwanzaa is devoted to a different one of the Seven Principles. These principles are Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity, and Faith. The official Kwanzaa web site describes the Seven Principles as the "basic values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African people as well as Africans throughout the world African Community."
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