Kwanzaa is a seven-day holiday created in 1966 as an alternative to Christmas for African-Americans. It is modeled after several African festivals that celebrate the winter fruit harvest.

Blount also shared the items that are needed when celebrating Kwanzaa: the kinara (candle holder), mkeka (mat), muhindi (corn to represent the children), mazao (fruit to represent the harvest ...

The kinara exists at the center of a colorful, Afrocentric arrangement that includes a mat, ears of corn, a bowl of fruit, and photos of ancestors. During Kwanzaa gatherings, celebrants pour libation, ...

matunda ya kwanza', which is rooted in the first fruit celebrations of African cultures. As Americans sought a holiday focused on African American culture, history and values, Kwanzaa was able to ...

Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase 'matunda ya kwanza, ' which means "first fruit of the harvest." The Nguzo Saba, also known as the seven principles of Kwanzaa, will be celebrated ...

In fact, everyone who attended the first night of Kwanzaa at the museum was asked to bring a fruit for the community fruit basket. “This is a harvest holiday that we come together to celebrate ...

Kwanzaa is a holiday created in 1966 by Maulana ... The other five are the Mazao (fruit, nuts and vegetables that represents the harvest), the Vibunzi (corn that represents the reproduction ...

or fruit basket, and a small black unity cup. To kick off the ceremony, seven elders, each representing a principle of Kwanzaa, marched to the sound of a hand-beaten drum toward the front of a crowd.

People gather to celebrate these principles and reflect on the end of one year and the beginning of another. “Kwanzaa is Swahili for first fruit, so it’s a time to ground yourself in that stuff so you ...

Kwanzaa revolves around the Nguzu Saba ... ears of corn (traditionally one for each child in the household), a bowl of fruit, the unity cup, and other symbols of African heritage.

Kwanzaa gets its name from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza” and is rooted in first fruit celebrations found in cultures throughout Africa both in ancient and modern times, according to ...

As Montes sets up a traditional Kwanzaa altar in her museum, she positions a kinara (candleholder), seven candles, a basket of fruit and vegetables under a “Happy Kwanzaa” banner. The altar ...