Editing Kwanzaa

{{short description|African-American holiday created in 1966}}
{{About||the river in Angola|Cuanza River|the currency|Angolan kwanza|the album by Albert Heath|Kwanza (The First)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox holiday
|image        = Kwanzaa Candles-Kinara.svg
|caption      = 7 candles in a [[kinara]] symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
|observedby   = [[African Americans]], parts of [[African diaspora]]
|date         = December 26 to January 1
|celebrations = {{ubl|Unity|Creativity|Faith|Giving gifts}}
|type         = Cultural and ethnic
|significance = Celebrates African heritage, unity, and culture
|relatedto    = [[Pan-African]]
|nickname     = 
}}
{{African American topics sidebar}}

'''Kwanzaa''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|w|ɑː|n|z|ə}}) is an annual celebration of [[African-American culture]] from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called ''Karamu'', usually on the sixth day.<ref name="Why Kwanzaa">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-MY8I_kwJY&list=PLJMZrovNFcP-idSz-hriEx3xaSXWNtpBw&index=1&ab_channel=AHSSociety| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/c-MY8I_kwJY| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|work=[[Maulana Karenga]]|title=Why Kwanzaa Video| date=November 2008|access-date=December 7, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  It was created by activist [[Maulana Karenga]] based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of [[West Africa|West]], [[Eastern Africa|East]], as well as [[Southeast Africa]]. Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. Twenty-first-century estimates place the number of Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa between 500,000 and 2,000,000.<ref name="Scott2009"/>

==History and etymology==
American [[Black separatism|black separatist]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilde |first1=Anna Day |title=7 Mainstreaming Kwanzaa |journal=We Are What We Celebrate |date=December 31, 2020 |pages=120–130 |doi=10.18574/nyu/9780814722916.003.0009|isbn=9780814722916 }}</ref> [[Maulana Karenga]] created Kwanzaa in 1966 during the aftermath of the [[Watts riots]]<ref>Wilde, Anna Day. "Mainstreaming Kwanzaa." Public Interest 119 (1995): 68–80.</ref> as a non-[[Christianity|Christian]],<ref>{{Citation |last1=Blumenfeld |first1=Warren J. |title=Christian Teachers and Christian Privilege |date=January 1, 2009 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789087906788/BP000009.xml |work=Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States |pages=133–149 |access-date=December 7, 2023 |publisher=Brill |language=en |doi=10.1163/9789087906788_009 |isbn=978-90-8790-678-8 |last2=Joshi |first2=Khyati Y. |last3=Fairchild |first3=Ellen E.}}</ref> specifically African-American [[holiday]].<ref name="Kwanzaa Date">{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F00B1EFD395C0C738FDDAB0994DB484D81 |work=[[The New York Times]] |title=The Evening Hours |date=December 30, 1983 |access-date=December 15, 2006 |first=Ron |last=Alexander}}</ref> Karenga said his goal was to "give [[black people]] an alternative to the existing holiday of [[Christmas]] and give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."<ref>[http://media.www.brookhavencourier.com/media/storage/paper807/news/2008/11/24/News/Kwanzaa.Celebrates.Culture.Principles-3560412.shtml Kwanzaa celebrates culture, principles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708095122/http://media.www.brookhavencourier.com/media/storage/paper807/news/2008/11/24/News/Kwanzaa.Celebrates.Culture.Principles-3560412.shtml |date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> For Karenga, a figure in the [[Black Power]] movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the creation of such holidays also underscored the essential premise that "you must have a cultural revolution before the violent revolution. The cultural revolution gives identity, purpose, and direction."<ref name="Mayes2009">{{Cite book |last=Mayes |first=Keith A. |author-link=Keith Mayes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vhgk72OGBRYC&pg=PA52 |title=Kwanzaa: Black Power and the Making of the African-American Holiday Tradition |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0415998550 |location=New York |access-date=December 27, 2015}}</ref>{{rp|63–65}}

According to Karenga, the name Kwanzaa derives from the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] phrase ''matunda ya kwanza'', meaning "first fruits".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/kwanzaa1.html |title=Kwanzaa – Honoring the values of ancient African cultures |author=Holly Hartman |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> [[First Fruits (Southern Africa)|First fruits]] festivals exist in Southern Africa and are celebrated in December/January with the [[December solstice|southern solstice]]. Karenga was partly inspired by an account he read of the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] festival [[Umkhosi Wokweshwama]].<ref name="Mayes2009" />{{rp|84}} It was decided to spell the holiday's name with an additional "a" so that it would have a symbolic seven letters.<ref name="Mayes2009" />{{rp|228}}

During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said it was meant to be an alternative to [[Christmas]]. He believed [[Mental health of Jesus#Opinions challenging the sanity of Jesus|Jesus was psychotic]] and [[Criticism of Christianity|Christianity was a "White" religion]] that Black people should shun.<ref>Karenga, Maulana (1967). "Religion". In Clyde Halisi, James Mtume. ''The Quotable Karenga''. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press. pp. 25. 23769.8.</ref> As Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so practicing [[Christians]] would not be alienated, stating in the 1997 book ''Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture'' that "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday."<ref>{{cite book | first=Maulana | last=Karenga | title=Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture | page=[https://archive.org/details/kwanzaacelebrati00kare_0/page/121 121] | publisher=University of Sankore Press | year=1997 | isbn=978-0943412214 | url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaacelebrati00kare_0/page/121 }}</ref> Many African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/20/garden/in-blacks-homes-the-christmas-and-kwanzaa-spirits-meet.html?pagewanted=all | work=The New York Times | title=In Blacks' Homes, the Christmas and Kwanzaa Spirits Meet | first=Lena | last=Williams | date=December 20, 1990 | access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref>

After its creation in [[California]], Kwanzaa spread outside the United States.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa |title=Kwanzaa – African-American Holiday |encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. |access-date=January 6, 2020 |quote=Although Kwanzaa is primarily an African American holiday, it has also come to be celebrated outside the United States, particularly in the Caribbean and other countries where there are large numbers of descendants of Africans. }}</ref>

==Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles)==
[[File: KwanzaaDisplay(cropped).jpg|thumb|A display of Kwanzaa symbols with fruit and vegetables]]
<!--This section is linked from Nguzo Saba. When changing the heading name please take care to update this page as well.-->
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or '''''Nguzo Saba''''' (originally '''''Nguzu Saba'''''&nbsp;– the seven principles of African Heritage). They were developed in 1965, a year before Kwanzaa itself. These seven principles are all [[Swahili language|Swahili]] words, and together comprise the ''Kawaida'' or "common" philosophy, a synthesis of nationalist, pan-Africanist, and socialist values. 

Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the principles, as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml|title=Nguzo Saba|last=Karenga|first=Maulana|date=2008|website=The Official Kwanzaa Web Site|access-date=December 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231203612/http://officialkwanzaawebsite.org/NguzoSaba.shtml|archive-date=December 31, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

# '''''Umoja''''' (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
# '''''Kujichagulia''''' ([[Self-determination]]): To define and name ourselves, as well as to create and speak for ourselves.
# '''''Ujima''''' (Collective work and responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.
# '''''[[Ujamaa]]''''' ([[Cooperative economics]]): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
# '''''Nia''''' (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
# '''''Kuumba''''' (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
# '''''Imani''''' (Faith): To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

==Symbols==
[[File:2019Kinara.jpg|thumb|2019 public kinara in [[New York City]]]]

Kwanzaa celebratory symbols include a mat (''Mkeka'') on which other symbols are placed: 

* a ''[[Kinara]]'' ([[Candlestick|candle holder]] for seven candlesticks<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinara|title=Definition of KINARA|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en|access-date=December 20, 2019}}</ref>)
* ''Mishumaa Saba'' (seven candles)
* ''mazao'' (crops)
* ''Mahindi'' ([[maize|corn]]), to represent the children celebrating (and corn may be part of the holiday meal).<ref>{{cite book|last=Raabe|first=Emily|url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaaholidayco0000raab/page/12|title=A Kwanzaa Holiday Cookbook|date=2001|publisher=Rosen Publishing|isbn=978-0823956296|page=[https://archive.org/details/kwanzaaholidayco0000raab/page/12 12]}}</ref>
* a ''Kikombe cha Umoja'' (unity cup) for commemorating and giving ''shukrani'' (thanks) to African Ancestors
* ''Zawadi'' (gifts). 

Supplemental representations include a Nguzo Saba poster,<ref>{{cite book |last=Angaza |first=Maitefa |date=2007 |title=Kwanzaa – From Holiday to Every Day: A complete guide for making Kwanzaa a part of your life |location=New York |publisher=Dafina Books |page=56 |isbn=978-0758216656 |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaafromholid0000anga/page/56 }}</ref> the [[Pan-African flag|black, red, and green]] ''bendera'' (flag), and African books and artworks—all to represent values and concepts reflective of African culture and contribution to community building and reinforcement.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Symbols of Kwanzaa|url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/symbols.shtml|website=The Official Kwanzaa Website|access-date=January 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204005052/http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/symbols.shtml|archive-date=December 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Observances==
[[File:Kwanzaa-Myers.jpg|thumb|left|A woman lighting candles for Kwanzaa. The black candle in the middle represents unity, the three green candles on the right represent earth, and the three red candles on the left represent the struggle of African Americans or the shedding of blood.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2020 |title=The Principles and Meaning of Kwanzaa |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a34894866/kwanzaa-principles-candles-meaning/ |access-date=November 16, 2023 |website=Oprah Daily |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as ''[[kente]]'', especially the wearing of [[Wrapper (clothing)|kaftans]] by women, and fresh fruits representing African idealism. It is customary to include children in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and gratitude to ancestors. [[Libations]] are shared, generally with a common chalice (''Kikombe cha Umoja'') passed around to all celebrants. Non-African Americans also celebrate Kwanzaa.<ref name="Scott2009" /> "Joyous Kwanzaa" may be used as a greeting during the holiday.<ref name="bush2004">{{cite press release
|url = https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2004/12/20041223-2.html
|title = Presidential Kwanzaa Message, 2004
|access-date = December 24, 2007
|last = Bush
|first = George W.
|date = December 23, 2004
|publisher = Office of the Press Secretary
}}</ref><ref name = "clinton1997">{{cite news
|title = Clinton offers holiday messages
|url = http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/12/23/message/
|publisher = CNN
|date = December 23, 1997
|access-date = December 24, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|first = Elaine
|last = Gale
|title = Appeal of Kwanzaa continues to grow; holidays: today marks start of the seven-day celebration of African culture, which began in Watts 32 years ago and is now observed by millions.
|url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/37610058.html?dids=37610058:37610058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+26%2C+1998&author=ELAINE+GALE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Appeal+of+Kwanzaa+Continues+to+Grow%3B+Holidays%3A+Today+marks+start+of+the+seven-day+celebration+of+African+culture%2C+which+began+in+Watts+32+years+ago+and+is+now+observed+by+millions.&pqatl=google
|newspaper = Los Angeles Times
|date = December 26, 1998
|access-date = December 24, 2007
|archive-date = June 5, 2013
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130605221130/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/37610058.html?dids=37610058:37610058&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Dec+26%2C+1998&author=ELAINE+GALE&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Appeal+of+Kwanzaa+Continues+to+Grow%3B+Holidays%3A+Today+marks+start+of+the+seven-day+celebration+of+African+culture%2C+which+began+in+Watts+32+years+ago+and+is+now+observed+by+millions.&pqatl=google
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

A Kwanzaa ceremony may include drumming and musical selections, libations, a reading of the "African Pledge and the Principles of Blackness," contemplation on the [[Pan-African colours|Pan-African colors]], discussion of the African principle of the day or a chapter of African history, a candle-lighting ritual, artistic performances, and, finally, a feast of faith known as ''Karamu Ya Imani''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Johnson |first1=James W. |last2=Johnson |first2=F. Francis |last3=Slaughter |first3=Ronald L. |date=1995 |title=The Nguzo Saba and the Festival of Fruits |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l97ZAAAAMAAJ |publisher=Gumbs & Thomas Publishers |page=42 |isbn=9780936073200}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.epicurious.com/archive/holidays/kwanzaa/feast|title=A Great Kwanzaa Feast – Kwanzaa|website=Epicurious.com}}</ref> The greeting for each day of Kwanzaa is ''Habari Gani?'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/greetings_and.shtml |title=The Founder's Message 2000 |publisher=The Official Kwanzaa Web Site |access-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204005015/http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/greetings_and.shtml |archive-date=December 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> which is Swahili for "How are you?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/swahili.php |title=Useful Swahili phrases |website=Omniglot.com |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref>

At first, observers of Kwanzaa avoided the mixing of the holiday or its symbols, values, and practice with other holidays, as doing so would violate the principle of ''kujichagulia'' (self-determination) and thus violate the integrity of the holiday, which is partially intended as a reclamation of important African values. Today, some African American families celebrate Kwanzaa along with [[Christmas]] and the [[New Year]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/kwanzaa |title=Kwanzaa (until Jan 1) in the United States |website=Timeanddate.com |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref>

Cultural exhibitions include the Spirit of Kwanzaa, an annual celebration held at the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] featuring [[interpretive dance]], [[African dance]], song, and poetry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&past=true&event=RHXAP |title=The Spirit of Kwanzaa – The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts |website=Kennedy-center.org |access-date=December 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.danceinstitute.org/aboutus3g.html|title=Dance Institute of Washington|date=February 21, 2001|access-date=October 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010221084040/http://www.danceinstitute.org/aboutus3g.html|archive-date=February 21, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_070.htm|title=Kwanzaa Featured on This Year's Holiday U.S. Postage Stamp|date=October 19, 2004|access-date=October 25, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019032411/http://usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2004/sr04_070.htm|archive-date=October 19, 2004}}</ref>

=== Karamu ===
A ''Karamu Ya Imani'' (Feast of Faith) is a feast typically on December 31, the sixth day of the Kwanzaa period. The Karamu feast was developed in [[Chicago]] during a 1971 citywide movement of [[Pan-Africanism|Pan-African]] organizations. Hannibal Afrik of Shule ya Watoto proposed it as a community-wide promotional and educational campaign. The initial ''Karamu Ya Imani'' occurred on January 1, 1973, at a 200-person gathering at the Ridgeland club.<ref name="Joseph">{{cite book |last=Mayes |first=Keith|author-link=Keith Mayes |title=The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-415-94596-7 |editor=Peniel Joseph |editor-link=Peniel E. Joseph |pages=244–245}}</ref>

In 1992, the [[National Black United Front]] (NBUF) of Chicago held one of the country's largest ''Karamu Ya Imani'' celebrations. It included dancing, a youth ensemble and a keynote speech by NBUF and prominent [[Black nationalism|Black nationalist]] leader [[Conrad Worrill]].<ref name="McFarland">{{cite news |last=McFarland |first=Melanie |date=December 25, 1992 |title=Kwanzaa Is A Time Of Reflection |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/12/25/kwanzaa-is-a-time-of-reflection/ |access-date=December 24, 2011}}</ref>

The celebration includes the following practices:

* Kukaribisha (Welcoming)
* Kuumba (Remembering)
* Kuchunguza Tena Na Kutoa Ahadi Tena (Reassessment and Recommitment)
* Kushangilia (Rejoicing)
* Tamshi la Tambiko (Libation Statement)
* Tamshi la Tutaonana (The Farewell Statement)

==Adherence==
[[File:Kwanza-RonKarenga.jpg|thumb|A 2003 Kwanzaa celebration with Kwanzaa founder [[Maulana Karenga]] at the center, and others]]
The popularity of celebration of Kwanzaa has declined with the waning of the popularity of the [[black separatist]] movement.<ref>{{cite book | last = Stanley | first = Sharon | title = An impossible dream? : racial integration in the United States | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = New York | year = 2017 | isbn = 978-0190639976 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Hall | first = Raymond | title = Black separatism and social reality : rhetoric and reason | publisher = Pergamon Press | location = New York | year = 1977 | isbn = 9780080195100 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Dattel |first=Gene |title=Separatism vs. Integration: Can Separate Ever Be Equal? |journal=Academic Questions |volume=32 |issue=4 |year=2019 |pages=476–486|doi=10.1007/s12129-019-09822-4 |doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024 |s2cid=214460772 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Neal |first=Mark Anthony |subject-link=Mark Anthony Neal |interviewer=[[Michel Martin]] |title=Is Kwanzaa Still A Thing? |url=https://www.npr.org/2012/12/28/168202864/is-kwanzaa-still-a-thing |work=[[Tell Me More]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=2012-12-28}}</ref> Kwanzaa observation has declined in both community and commercial contexts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fantozzi |first=Madison |date=2016-12-25 |title=Polk events celebrate values of African culture |url=https://www.theledger.com/news/20161225/polk-events-celebrate-values-of-african-culture |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117160237/https://www.theledger.com/story/news/local/2016/12/26/polk-events-celebrate-values-of-african-culture/23277568007/ |archive-date=2023-11-17 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=[[The Ledger]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Demby |first=Gene |subject-link=Gene Demby |interviewer=[[David Greene (journalist)|David Greene]] |title=Significance Of Kwanzaa Changes Over The Years |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168388526/significances-of-kwanzaa-changes-over-the-years |access-date=2024-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119235641/https://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168388526/significances-of-kwanzaa-changes-over-the-years |archive-date=2023-11-19 |url-status=live |work=[[Morning Edition]] |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=2013-01-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2013/01/07/168644973/gaining-or-losing-credibility-by-humanizing-a-reporter-a-kwanzaa-story|title=Gaining Or Losing Credibility By Humanizing A Reporter: A Kwanzaa Story|newspaper=[[NPR]]|type=NPR Public Editor column|date=January 7, 2013|last1=Schumacher-Matos|first1=Edward|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212165423/https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2013/01/07/168644973/gaining-or-losing-credibility-by-humanizing-a-reporter-a-kwanzaa-story|archive-date=2024-12-12}}</ref> [[University of Minnesota]] Professor [[Keith Mayes]] did not report exact figures, noting that it is also difficult to determine these for the three other main African-American holidays, which he names as [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]], [[Malcolm X Day]], and [[Juneteenth]].<ref name="Mayes2009"/>{{rp|210,274}} Mayes added that [[White Americans|white]] institutions now also celebrate it.<ref name="Scott2009">{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=Megan K. |date=December 17, 2009 |title=Kwanzaa celebrations continue, but boom is over, popularity fading |url=http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2009/12/kwanzaa_celebrations_continue.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]] |language=en-US |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

In a 2019 [[National Retail Federation]] poll, 2.6 percent of people who planned to celebrate a winter holiday said they would celebrate Kwanzaa.<ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |last=Yancey-Bragg |first=N'dea |date=2019-12-26 |title=From Umoja to Imani, Kwanzaa has 'won the hearts and minds of African people around the world |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/26/kwanzaa-african-american-holiday-celebrated-2019/4374651002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212183443/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/12/26/kwanzaa-african-american-holiday-celebrated-2019/4374651002/ |archive-date=2024-12-12 |access-date=2024-12-24 |work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> Roughly 14% of the United States population is [[African Americans|African American]].

Starting in the 1990s, the holiday became increasingly commercialized, with the first [[Hallmark Cards|Hallmark card]] being sold in 1992.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=December 20, 1993 |title=The Marketing of Kwanzaa; Black American Holiday Earns Dollars, Causing Concern |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/20/nyregion/the-marketing-of-kwanzaa-black-american-holiday-earns-dollars-causing-concern.html |access-date=December 24, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Some have expressed concern about this potentially damaging the holiday's values.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/commercialized-kwanzaa-worries-enthusiasts/article_5514246b-bfd0-575f-9937-f2c004850b63.html|title=Commercialized Kwanzaa worries enthusiasts|date=2001-12-28|work=[[Billings Gazette|The Billings Gazette]]|access-date=December 24, 2017|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117205604/https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/commercialized-kwanzaa-worries-enthusiasts/article_5514246b-bfd0-575f-9937-f2c004850b63.html|archive-date=2023-11-17}}</ref>

==Recognition==
The first Kwanzaa stamp, designed by [[Synthia Saint James]], was issued by the [[United States Post Office]] in 1997, and in the same year [[Bill Clinton]] gave the first presidential declaration marking the holiday.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=53734|title=William J. Clinton: Message on the Observance of Kwanzaa, 1997|website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu|access-date=December 31, 2017|archive-date=December 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231103648/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=53734|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pleck|first=Elizabeth|date=2001 |url= http://people.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/backtoafrica/documents/pleck1.pdf |title=Kwanzaa: The Making of a Black Nationalist Tradition, 1966–1990|jstor=27502744|journal=Journal of American Ethnic History|volume=20|issue=4|pages=3–28|doi=10.2307/27502744 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315195135/http://people.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/backtoafrica/documents/pleck1.pdf|archive-date=March 15, 2017}}</ref> Subsequent presidents [[George W. Bush]],<ref name="bush2004"/> [[Barack Obama]],<ref>{{Cite press release |date=December 26, 2015|title=Statement by the President and the First Lady on Kwanzaa |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/26/statement-president-and-first-lady-kwanzaa |access-date=December 28, 2020 |publisher=The White House}}</ref> [[Donald Trump]],<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/presidential-message-kwanzaa-2/ |title=Presidential Message on Kwanzaa |publisher=The White House |date=December 26, 2019 |access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref> and [[Joe Biden]]<ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1475126705278828555 |title=As we begin the seven days of Kwanzaa, Jill and I send our best wishes to everyone celebrating. |user=POTUS |last=Biden |first=Joe |number=1475126705278828555 |date=December 26, 2021 |access-date=December 24, 2022}}</ref> also issued greetings to celebrate Kwanzaa.

[[Maya Angelou]] narrated a 2008 [[documentary film]] about Kwanzaa, ''[[The Black Candle]]'', written and directed by [[M. K. Asante]] and featuring [[Chuck D]].<ref name=Asante>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=98278817 |title=Kwanzaa Celebration Captured In 'Black Candle' |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 15, 2008 |publisher=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref><ref name=Essence>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.essence.com/2009/12/26/chuck-d-and-maya-angelou-in-kwanzaa-docu |title=Chuck D and Maya Angelou in Kwanzaa Documentary |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=December 18, 2009 |magazine=[[Essence (magazine)|Essence]]}}</ref>

In the [[Arthur (TV series)]] special ''[[Arthur's Perfect Christmas]]'', Brain's family celebrated Kwanzaa as a family, and added a Kwanzaa Ice Cream Special (red, black, and green ice cream) to their ice cream shop menu. <ref>{{Cite episode |title=Arthur's Perfect Christmas |series=Arthur |series-link=Arthur (TV series) |network=[[PBS]] |date=November 23, 2000 |season=5}}</ref>

==Practice outside the United States==
Other countries where Kwanzaa is celebrated include [[Jamaica]], [[France]], [[Canada]], and [[Brazil]].<ref name="Lord Contributor 2016">{{cite web | last1=Lord | first1=Mark | title=Celebrating the life-affirming tenets of Kwanzaa | website=Queens Chronicle | date=December 22, 2016 | url=https://www.qchron.com/qboro/stories/celebrating-the-life-affirming-tenets-of-kwanzaa/article_6f1f8f4c-5bbe-5a12-a9d0-b815c558f215.html | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref>

In Canada it is celebrated in provinces including [[Saskatchewan]]<ref name="CBC 2019">{{cite web | title=Sask. African Canadian Heritage Museum celebrates Kwanzaa in Regina – CBC News | website=CBC | date=December 28, 2019 | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/african-canadian-heritage-museum-kwanzaa-1.5409656 | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> and [[Ontario]]. Kwanzaa week was first declared in [[Toronto]] in 2018.<ref name="WBFO 2018">{{cite web | title=Proclamations declaring Kwanzaa week in Toronto and Brampton a first for Canada | website=WBFO | date=December 27, 2018 | url=https://www.wbfo.org/local/2018-12-27/proclamations-declaring-kwanzaa-week-in-toronto-and-brampton-a-first-for-canada | access-date=December 1, 2022}}</ref> There are local chapters that emerged in the 2010s in provinces like [[British Columbia]], where there are much smaller groups of the diaspora, founding members may be immigrants from countries like [[Uganda]].<ref name="Service 2021">{{cite web |last= |first= |date=December 14, 2021 |title=Kwanzaa, the 7 most important days of the year, approaching for many African-Canadians |url=https://www.saanichnews.com/news/kwanzaa-the-7-most-important-days-of-the-year-approaching-for-many-african-canadians/ |access-date=December 30, 2023 |website=Saanich News}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portalbar|United States|Holidays}}
* [[Public holidays in the United States]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{Citation |last1=Medearis |first1=Angela Shelf |title=The Seven Days of Kwanzaa |url=https://archive.org/details/sevendaysofkwanz00mede |year=1994 |publisher=Scholastic Paperbacks |isbn=0-590-46360-8}}
* {{Citation |last1=Seton |first1=Susannah |title=Simple Pleasures for the Holidays |url=https://archive.org/details/simplepleasuresf0000seto |year=2000 |publisher=Conari |isbn=1-57324-515-1 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Citation |last1=Brady |first1=April A. |title=Kwanzaa Karamu |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaakaramucoo00brad |year=2000 |publisher=Lerner Publishing Group |isbn=0-87614-842-9}}
* {{Citation |last1=Karenga |first1=Maulana |title=Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaacelebrati00kare_0 |year=1998 |publisher=University of Sankore Press |isbn=0-943412-21-8}}
* {{Citation |last1=Marsh |first1=Carole |title=Kwanzaa: Activities, Crafts, Recipes, and More! |year=2003 |publisher=Gallopade International |isbn=0-635-02173-0}}
* {{Citation |last1=Anganza |first1=Maitefa |title=Kwanzaa: from Holiday to Every Day |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaafromholid0000anga |year=2007 |publisher=Kensington Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-0-7582-1665-6}}
* {{Citation |last1=Gamble-Gumbs |first1=Ida |title=How to Plan a Kwanzaa Celebration |url=https://archive.org/details/howtoplankwanzaa00gamb |year=1998 |publisher=Cultural Expressions, Inc. |isbn=0-9629827-1-7}}
* {{Citation |last1=Hintz |first1=Martin |title=Kwanzaa: Why We Celebrate It the Way We Do |url=https://archive.org/details/kwanzaawhywecele00hint |year=1996 |publisher=Capstone Press |isbn=1-56065-329-9}}
* {{Citation |last1=Asante |first1=Molefi K. |title=Encyclopedia of Black Studies |year=2005 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=0-7619-2762-X |last2=Mazama |first2=Ama}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Kwanzaa |commons=Kwanzaa |commonscat=yes |n=no |q=Kwanzaa |s=no |b=no |v=no |d=Q746851}} 
* {{Official website|http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q7718270|title=The Black Candle}}
* [http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html Why Kwanzaa was created by Karenga] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230082328/http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html |date=December 30, 2007 }}
* [http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/kwanzaa-history The History Channel: Kwanzaa]
* {{Cite news |title=The Meaning of Kwanzaa in 2003 |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1571259 |date=December 26, 2003 |work=[[The Tavis Smiley Show]] |publisher=[[NPR]]}} Interview: Karenga discusses the evolution of the holiday and its meaning.

{{Pan-Africanism}}
{{African American topics}}
{{US Holidays}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kwanzaa| ]]
[[Category:1966 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:African-American culture]]
[[Category:Black Power]]
[[Category:December observances]]
[[Category:January observances]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1966]]
[[Category:Post–civil rights era in African-American history|Kwanzaa]]
[[Category:Public holidays in the United States]]
[[Category:Swahili words and phrases]]