In 1966, Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga who is a professor and activist in the Black Power Movement. He created Kwanzaa as an African American holiday because his goal was to give Black people the opportunity to celebrate themselves as well as their history and culture. The holiday of Kwanza is celebrated annually from December 26 through January 1 which is seven days and through these days, usually on the sixth day, people feast which is called Karamu. This feast focuses on the vibrant colors and the symbolic ingredients.
In the early years of Kwanzaa, Dr. Karenga stated that Kwanzaa was meant to be an alternative to Christmas because he believed that Jesus was a psychotic and that Christianity was a white religion that Black people should ignore, avoid, reject, and stay away from. According to Dr. Karenga, the name Kwanzaa obtains a phrase from the Swahili which is “matunda ya kwanza” meaning first fruits. First fruits is a festival that is celebrated in South America through the months of December and January. With these festivals, Dr. Karenga was inspired to spell the holiday name but he added another letter “a” so it would have seven symbolic letters.
Another thing people use to celebrate Kwanzaa is by having seven candles in a kinara that also symbolizes the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The candles have three different colors and they all go in different spots. In Kwanzaa it is required that you must have the black candle in the middle because it represents the people and unity. Then on the left there are three red candles that symbolizes struggle and past. Finally on the right, there are three green candles that represent the future and hope. When all these candles are placed in their spot, on the first day, the first candle that is lit up is the center one which is the black candle. And on the last day of Kwanzaa all the seven candles should be lit up because it symbolizes the seven principles which are self determination, collective work, unity, purpose, creativity, cooperative economics and faith. This holiday is celebrated in other countries including Jamaica, France, Canada and Brazil.
