Today marks the first day of the seven-day holiday of Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa is the creation of Maulana Karenga. He's the former director of black studies at California State University, Long Beach.
Kwanzaa means "first fruits" in Swahili. The holiday recalls the customs and values of African harvests. Created in 1966, the seven-day celebration encourages Americans of African descent to focus each day on a different principle of progress.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa, in their order of celebration are: unity, self-determination, work done with the assistance of neighbors, family and society, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each night a candle is lit to mark the principle for that day.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
