Happy Kwanzaa!

The celebration of Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and ends on New Year’s Day. The week-long celebration honors African heritage within the African-American culture. The holiday is modeled after the African harvest festivals of Swahili matunda ya kwanza meaning first fruits. Celebratory symbols for Kwanzaa include mat or (Mkeka) on which other symbols are placed: a candle holder (Kinara), seven candles (Mishumaa Saba), crops (mazao) corn (Muhindi), a unity cup (Kikombe cha Umoja) for commemorating and giving thanks (shukrani) to ancestors, and gifts (Zawadi). We wish all of our African-American Brothers and Sisters a Happy Kwanzaa!