Kwanzaa, meaning the "first fruits of the harvest," is a cultural holiday based on traditional African harvest celebrations. Kwanzaa is also a celebration of family, community and culture. The seven day celebration begins on December 26th and ends January 1st.
Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 and per the official website was established "as an African American and Pan-African holiday [that is] celebrated throughout the world. " Kwanzaa is not and was not intended to have the commercialization attached to the holiday as Christmas currently has. As many of us will attest to, the true meaning of Christmas is often forgotten as the gift of giving becomes the gift of paying off your credit card purchases. Kwanzaa is not intended to replace Christmas. A common misconception of Kwanzaa is the celebration represents a organized religion or political group. Kwanzaa does not manifest from an organized religion and is not intended to take the place of your faith, political party or affiliation.

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