Welcome to Kwanzaa in CyberSpace! My name is Roz Fruchtman and this is my tribute to the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa.

"Kwanzaa" which means first fruits in Swahili, was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. Dr. Karenga, a scholar-activist is currently professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach.

Several cities in the United States have issued proclamations in honor of the celebration of Kwanzaa — Baltimore Buffalo, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia. Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday which is based on a traditional African harvest festival — established in 1966.

Food is a very important part of this holiday celebration and there are many delicious foods and recipes shared during the seven day festivities. (I am trying to include as many recipe/food resources as I can find). Kwanzaa takes its roots from Africa and is traditionally celebrated at the end of the year — annually from December 26 to January 1 — a time that in some African cultures is called the time when the edges of the year meet and is traditionally spent in celebration, focus, and assessment. The symbolism of the festival comes from various African traditions.

The seven day Kwanzaa celebration offers a time of reflection, thanksgiving, family awareness, and togetherness — a time to celebrate African heritage and the importance of the family, community, and culture pulling together. The 32-year-old African-American holiday is now celebrated in African communities around the world — Its roots both modern and ancient. The Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated with various rituals over the seven days following Christmas.

The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green — black for the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle. Therefore, there is one black candle, three red, and three green candles. These are the mishumaa saba (the seven candles) and they represent the seven principles.

On each of the seven days of Kwanzaa family members gather together to light candles. The candles are lit alternately from left to right. On the first night, the black candle in the center, symbolizing the black people is lit; on the second night, the black one and the first candle to its left, a red one, symbolizing their struggle; on the third night, the first two and the green one to the right of the black one, which symbolizes the future and hope which comes from the struggle; and so on each night, alternating left to right. On each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa one of the seven principles — which are listed below — is discussed.

Seven Principles of Kwanzaa:

• UMOJA (Unity — oo-MOO-jah) — To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
• KUJICHAGULIA (Self-Determination — koo-jee-chan-goo-LEE-ah) — To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves instead of being defined, named, created for and spoken for by others.
• UJIMA (Collective Work and Responsibility — oo-JEE-mah) — To build and maintain our community together and make our sister's and brother's problems our problems and to solve them together.
• UJAMAA (Cooperative Economics — oo-jah-MAH) — To build and maintain our stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
• NIA (Purpose — NEE-ah) — To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
• KUUMBA (Creativity — koo-OOM-bah) — 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 — ee-MAH-nee) — To believe with all of our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa is represented by seven symbols:

• crops;
• a mat;
• a candleholder;
• the seven candles;
• ears of corn;
• gifts; and
• a unity cup (the Kikome Cha Umoja)

All seven symbols are put on a straw mat. The celebrants use the unity cup to pour libations for the ancestors, and they drink from it to reinforce unity in the family and community. Gifts such as books or heritage symbols relating to the history, culture, or community of African Americans are exchanged; they are primarily given to children, but other family members can exchange gifts