Kwanzaa is a 7 day festival celebrating the African American people, their culture and their history. It is a time of celebration, community gathering, and reflection. A time of endings and beginnings. Kwanzaa begins on December 26th and continues until New Years Day, January 1st.The foundation of Kwanzaa are the Seven Principles, or Nguzo Saba.
The Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa are:
Umoja (oo-MOH-jah): Unity - Success starts with Unity. Unity of family, community, nation and race.
Kujichagulia (koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah): Self-Determination - To be responsible for ourselves. To create your own destiny.
Ujima (oo-JEE-mah): Collective work and responsibility - To build and maintain your community together. To work together to help one another within your community.
Ujamaa (oo-jah-MAH): Cooperative economics - To build, maintain, and support our own stores, establishments, and businesses.
Nia (NEE-ah): Purpose - To restore African American people to their traditional greatness. To be responsible to Those Who Came Before (our ancestors) and to Those Who Will Follow (our descendants).
Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah): Creativity - Using creativity and imagination to make your communities better than what you inherited.
Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith