The 55th-anniversary celebration of the African-American national holiday Kwanzaa was held between December 26, 2021, and January 1, 2022, as is tradition. Hosted by the International African Arts Festival and the National Association of Kawaida Organization, Kwanzaa Live, the festival of African arts and tradition that wrapped up the pan-African holiday, went down on December 31st, 2021 to much aplomb and pageantry.

Kwanzaa, a Swahili word that translates to “first fruits”, is a pan-African celebration of family, community, and culture that originated in California in 1966 at the heights of the Civil Rights Movement. Its founder Dr. Maulana Karenga was an influential professor of Africana studies at California State University, Long Beach. However, according to the official website of the holiday, Kwanzaa, as a non-religious holiday, was inspired by the first harvest celebrations in Africa, thus, its themes are often tied to community, restoration, and abundance.

For the seven nights of Kwanzaa, people of Black and African ancestry from all across different cities in the US gather around in groups and celebrate with each day representing one of the seven principles that are prominent in the African American community. The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, include unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The colors black, red, and green are the symbolic colors of the celebration, with the colors reflecting the Pan-African movement’s ideal of “unity” for peoples of African descent worldwide. Black is for the people, red for the noble blood that unites all people of African ancestry and their struggle, and green for the rich land of Africa as well as the promising future of her people.

Away from its California origins, Kwanzaa as a pan-African holiday has grown to be celebrated by millions across the world, strengthening roots to both African heritage and the African community as a whole. For the 2021/2022 celebration, events were organized virtually and in person for people to celebrate as a community.

From Chicago to New York to London, seven black, red and green candles were lit on the Kinara, a candle holder, surrounded by celebrating people dressed in traditional African attires. Spread out for the festival are the other symbolic items which include: Mazao (crops), Mahindi (corn; to represent the children celebrating), a Kikombe cha Umoja (unity cup; for commemorating and giving shukrani (thanks) to African Ancestors, Mkeka (mat), zawadi (gifts), and most especially, pieces of African art objects and artifacts.

Even as Kwanzaa is rooted in African culture, there is a universal message embedded in the celebration that welcomes people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds to join in the celebration. Consequently, the Kwanzaa Live event held in New York last Friday saw millions of people connecting to the virtual event from all across the world, with the founder of Kwanzaa, Dr. Karenga being the guest speaker.

Families and communities congregated under Covid-19 regulations-compliant guidelines to celebrate the feasts, also known as ‘karamu’, that marks a successful seven days of Kwanzaa with music, dance, poetry, narratives, and gifts that are encouraged to be educational and promote African heritage. The holiday ended on Saturday, January 1, 2022, which was dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the Seven Principles and other core cultural values.