Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of family, unity and culture. It begins on Dec 26 and continues for seven days. Each day celebrates one of the principles with a candle lit each day in recognition. There is no standard procedure for observance but there are traditions/guidelines that were established by the founder Dr. Maulena Karenga. On this site we will present information that will hopefully help you to institute the celebration of Kwanzaa into your own family tradition.
| Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. |
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| Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves. |
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| Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together. |
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| Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. |
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| Nia (Purpose) To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. |
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| Kuumba (Creativity) 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. |
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| Imani (Faith) To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. |
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