variants or less commonly Kwanza
: an African American cultural festival held from December 26 to January 1

Did you know?

In 1966, Maulana Karenga, a Black Studies professor at California State University at Long Beach, created a new holiday patterned after traditional African harvest festivals. He called it Kwanzaa, a name he took from a Swahili term that means "first fruits." The holiday, which takes place from December 26th to January 1st, was originally intended as a nonreligious celebration of family and social values. Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Examples of Kwanzaa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Suddenly Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s are a mere weeks away and your to-do list seems to never end. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 30 Oct. 2024 Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa share custody of most of December; Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July have become, for some, political lightning rods. Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Swahili kwanza first

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Kwanzaa was in 1970

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Dictionary Entries Near Kwanzaa

Cite this Entry

“Kwanzaa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Kwanzaa. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

: an African American cultural festival held from December 26 to January 1
Etymology

Swahili kwanza "first," in the phrase matunda ya kwanza "first fruits"

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