Happy Kwanzaa to you all, ok I know it’s the start of Kwanzaa today and ideally, you won’t be reading this until in 7 days time (the end of Kwanzaa), nevertheless, some of you may, sneakingly use the internet, and come across my post. Or you have no clue about what Kwanzaa is and maybe intrigued about this commonly known event around Christmas time.

Well, I hope to share with you the basics about Kwanzaa and hope you get involved even if it’s just for you and your close family. If nothing else be blessed that you have your family around you, you support one another and that you have faith in yourself and each another, if you don’t have that then you need to look at Kwanzaa’s 7 principles and put them in motion.

Did you know that Kwanzaa is celebrated by over 20 million people, which is amazing? Many people believe that Kwanzaa is an alternative to Christmas, my opinion why do you have to choose between Christmas or Kwanzaa. They both are completely different events and they both represent different things. Christmas is for remembering the birth of Jesus Christ. Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense.

Still unsure what Kwanzaa is:

Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

Kwanzaa is a cultural holiday, not a religious one, thus available to and practiced by Africans of all religious faiths who come together based on the rich, ancient, and varied common ground of their Africanness.

Read and learn more from the official Kwanzaa website.

Kwanzaa is based over 7 days, each day has an important principle which we focus on each day:

The 7 Principles of Kwanzaa
Umoja means unity
Kujichagulia means self-determination
Ujima means working together
Ujamaa means supporting each other
Nia means purpose
Kuumba means creativity
Imani means faith, especially faith in ourselves

Gifts, yes gifts are given mainly to children, but must always include a book and a heritage symbol. The book is to emphasize the African value and tradition of learning stressed since ancient Egypt, and the heritage symbol to reaffirm and reinforce the African commitment to tradition and history.

From the above, you can see that Kwanzaa can be celebrated by anybody or any faith in any culture. If you look at all the BOLD texts you will see that they are relevant to every human being no matter your color or gender. Like everything in life, you as an individual should take what you need to help you to be a better person.

Happy Kwanzaa to you all!