You've heard of the holiday, but how many of these Kwanzaa facts do you know? Every American should be aware of these key details.
Pretty much all Americans are familiar with Christmas (it’s hard to miss the decorations that go up the day after Thanksgiving!), but there’s another meaningful end-of-year holiday to celebrate: Kwanzaa. This Pan-African holiday is dedicated to honoring African American history, heritage and culture. Celebrants observe the holiday by lighting the kinara each day and embracing the seven guiding principles, which reflect core values rooted in African traditions. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Kwanzaa facts.
If you’re looking to observe the holiday this year or brush up on its history, meanings and traditions, you’ve come to the right place. We spoke with historian Kellie Carter Jackson, PhD, to gain insight into the holiday’s origins, foods, gifts and celebrations. So keep reading to learn what Kwanzaa is, how it began and more fascinating Kwanzaa facts.
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When is Kwanzaa?
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration that lasts from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. In 2025, it starts on a Friday and ends the following Thursday.
What facts about Kwanzaa should everyone know?
You may know what Kwanzaa is (at least partially), but if your understanding of the holiday stops there, it’s time to brush up on 10 Kwanzaa facts worth knowing—and sharing with others.
Kwanzaa began in the United States
Since Kwanzaa is a pan-African and African American holiday, some people assume it originated in Africa. But actually, it has American roots—though people in Africa celebrate it today as well.
Maulana Karenga, born Ronald McKinley Everett in Parsonsburg, Maryland, founded the holiday in 1966 during the Civil Rights Movement. Just 25 years old at the time, Karenga was a Black nationalist and activist intent on liberating African Americans from racial oppression, in part by building pride and unity around their cultural origins. Karenga went on to earn two PhDs and is currently chair of the Department of Africana Studies at California State University Long Beach.
Kwanzaa is modeled after harvest festivals
Although celebrated in the winter, Kwanzaa is patterned after harvest festivals traditionally celebrated by many African cultures and tribes. The word Kwanzaa comes from matunda ya kwanza, which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Like other harvest festivals, Kwanzaa includes a feast (called Karamu), which takes place on day six of the holiday.
The number seven is symbolic in Kwanzaa
Seven is an important, even mystical, number in many cultures and traditions. Seven was a central number for the Rosicrucians and ancient Egyptians; there are seven deadly sins in Catholicism; there are seven days in a week.
Seven also features prominently in Kwanzaa. Not only does the holiday last for seven days—Dec. 26 through Jan. 1—but there are also seven symbols and seven principles. The seven basic symbols of Kwanzaa are: mazao (the crops), mkeka (the mat), kinara (the candle holder), muhindi (the corn), mishumaa saba (the seven candles), kikombe cha umoja (the unity cup) and zawadi (the gifts).
And here’s another Kwanzaa fact: According to Karenga, the additional a in Kwanzaa, which comes from the Swahili kwanza, was added so the name would have the symbolic seven letters!
The seven Kwanzaa principles reinforce values of African culture
You can’t fully understand what Kwanzaa is without knowing the seven Kwanzaa principles. Each day of Kwanzaa has a specific principle that participants are meant to talk about, celebrate and reflect upon: unity (umoja in Swahili), self-determination (kujichagulia), collective work and responsibility (ujima), cooperative economics (ujamaa), purpose (nia), creativity (kuumba) and faith (imani).
“I don’t think there will ever be a time when the principles of Kwanzaa will not be important or timely,” Jackson says. “It’s a great time for reflection, and now more than ever, our country needs to be reminded of unity.”
Lighting candles is a big part of the Kwanzaa celebration
The ceremonial lighting of candles is a rite of focus and remembrance in many traditions around the world. (Think, for example, of the lighting of menorah candles, which is a major element of Hanukkah.)
Seven candles are lit during the seven days of Kwanzaa, representing the seven key principles of the holiday. They are placed in a candle-holder called a kinara. There are three green candles, three red and one black. The black candle—representing the people, collectively—is lit each day, then an additional candle that coincides with that day’s specific principle.
The colors of Kwanzaa have specific meanings
The green candles and green parts of the Kwanzaa flag stand for hope and the future, two appropriate and universal themes for the end of the year. The red candles and the red in the Kwanzaa flag represent the struggle of the people.
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, ‘Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle.’ All progress is contingent upon struggle,” says Jackson. “I tell my students all the time that the abolition of slavery, the right to vote and even the end of Jim Crow were not inevitable. People actively resisted and fought against oppression for change to come. Hope is not a strategy on its own. I’m always encouraged for the future when I see people taking a stand for what is right and pushing to make it happen.”
The Kwanzaa feast is steeped in tradition
During the Karamu, or Karamu Ya Imani (feast of feasts), everyone drinks from the unity cup. After everyone has a sip of water, juice or wine from the cup, the oldest person at the celebration asks for a blessing from God or from the ancestors of those who are present. At large feasts, rather than family dinners, people may sip from their own cups, but they’ll do so at the same time.
This is also a time to honor the elders in the family.
You can get a Kwanzaa postage stamp
The first-ever Kwanzaa-themed postage stamp debuted in 1997. Artist Synthia Saint James designed it with the profiles of four African family members. In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned her to design another one in anticipation of 2016, the 50th anniversary of the holiday.
In 2024, the Postal Service debuted its 10th Kwanzaa stamp, depicting three young performers: a male drummer and two female dancers. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler, an art director for Postal Service.
Kwanzaa gifts are often homemade
On the last day of the holiday, people exchange gifts. In line with the principle of creativity, Kwanzaa gifts are traditionally homemade. But families also buy creative gifts such as books, music and art. And in line with the principle of cooperative economics, they are often purchased from Black-owned businesses.
“We give meaningful zawadi (gifts) to encourage growth, self-determination, achievement and success,” writes Dorothy Winbush Riley in her book The Complete Kwanzaa: Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest. “We exchange the gifts with members of our immediate family, especially the children, to promote or reward accomplishments and commitments kept. […] Accepting a gift implies a moral obligation to fulfill the promise of the gift; it obliges the recipient to follow the training of the host. The gift cements social relationships, allowing the receiver to share the duties and the rights of a family member. Accepting a gift makes the receiver part of the family and promotes Umoja.”
Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday
One final Kwanzaa fact for the curious: The celebration tends to get lumped together with Hanukkah and Christmas, and as with those winter holidays, there’s a bit of an assumption that people celebrate only one. But Kwanzaa is not a religious celebration; it’s a cultural one. So if you’re wondering who celebrates Kwanzaa, the answer is: anyone. Maybe even you.
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Sources:
- Kellie Carter Jackson, historian, speaker and author
- The Complete Kwanzaa: Celebrating Our Cultural Harvest by Dorothy Winbush Riley
- History: “Kwanzaa”
- History: “5 Things You May Not Know About Kwanzaa”
- Official Kwanzaa Website: “The Celebration”
- U.S. Postal Service: “Stamp Announcement 22-35: Kwanzaa 2022 Stamp”
- HuffPost: “Artist Synthia Saint James and the U.S. Postal Service Release New Kwanzaa Stamp”
