Kwanzaa is an African-American harvest and community festival that was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, as a way of reaffirming African-American identity, instilling knowledge and pride in African roots, and reinforcing bonds among members of the community. Kwanzaa is now celebrated by an estimated 18 million people in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Britain, India and some African nations.

Kwanzaa is devoted to seven principles, know collectively as Nguzo Saba: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective work and responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative economics) , Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

Kwanzaa Celebrations

• The Official Kwanzaa Website — Read messages from Dr. Maulana Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa, and learn more about the meaning, symbols and celebration of Kwanzaa.
• Welcome to A Celebration of Kwanzaa — Learn about the meaning of and traditions related to Kwanzaa
• Kwanzaa — A collection of information and articles about Kwanzaa from CNN
• Kwanzaa — The story of this celebration from the History Channel website
• Kwanzaa Recipes — A collection from Nancy J.’s Kwanzaa website
• Kwanzaa Recipes — Holiday recipes from Kwanzaa.net
• Kwanzaa– Special holiday recipes from Allrecipes.com

Just for Kids

• Kwanzaa Reading — Selected children’s books about Kwanzaa that can be borrowed from NOBLE libraries.

• Kwanzaa — A great collection of Kwanzaa crafts, games, songs and recipes for young children, from the Ideabox website.
• Kwanzaa — Coloring fun, games and more from Billy Bear’s Playground