Kwanzaa symbols
The seven symbols and seven principles of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday celebrated from 26 December to 1 January, and what each one stands for.
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The symbols
- KinaraThe kinara is the candleholder of Kwanzaa, made to hold seven candles in a row: three red, one black in the centre and three green. Maulana Karenga, who created the holiday in 1966, calls it a symbol of “our roots, our parent people”, the peoples of Africa.
- Mishumaa saba (the seven candles)Mishumaa saba (“seven candles” in Swahili) are the candles of Kwanzaa: one black, three red and three green, one for each of the holiday’s seven principles. The black candle is lit first, on 26 December, and one more is lit on each evening that follows.
- Kwanzaa colours (bendera)Black, red and green are the colours of Kwanzaa, flown on its flag, the bendera, and repeated in its seven candles. The holiday’s founder gives black for the people, red for their struggle and green for the future and hope that come from it.
- Mkeka (the mat)The mkeka is the mat at the heart of a Kwanzaa display, on which the candleholder and the other symbols are set. Maulana Karenga calls it a symbol of “our tradition and history”, the foundation on which a people builds.
- Mazao (the crops)Mazao, Swahili for “crops”, are the fruit and vegetables set out on the mat at Kwanzaa. They stand for the African harvest festivals the holiday is modelled on, and for the reward of productive work done together.
- Muhindi (the corn)Muhindi are the ears of corn (maize) on a Kwanzaa table, one for each child in the household. Maulana Karenga calls the corn “symbolic of our children and thus our future which they embody”.
- Kikombe cha umoja (the unity cup)The kikombe cha umoja is the unity cup of Kwanzaa. Celebrants drink from it after a statement of unity, and pour from it a libation, the tambiko, in honour of the ancestors.
- Zawadi (the gifts)Zawadi are the gifts of Kwanzaa, given mainly to children. The holiday’s guidance says they must always include a book and a heritage symbol, and its founder writes that they should never be overly expensive.
About kwanzaa symbols
Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday kept for seven days, from 26 December to 1 January. Maulana Karenga devised the name and the celebration in 1966, and modelled them on African first-fruits harvest festivals; the name comes from the Swahili matunda ya kwanza, “first fruits”. Its words are Swahili, which the holiday’s official account chose as a Pan-African language, a commitment to the whole of Africa rather than to one people. The pages here take its seven basic symbols, its flag and its principles in turn.
The symbols are set out together on a table in a central place in the home. The mat, the Mkeka (the mat), goes down first, for tradition and history. On it stand the Kinara, the candleholder, for the ancestors; the seven candles it holds; the Mazao (the crops), fruit and vegetables for the harvest; the Muhindi (the corn), an ear of corn for each child; the unity cup; and the Zawadi (the gifts), gifts that must include a book. Beside them go the two supplemental symbols, the black, red and green flag (see the colours of Kwanzaa) and a poster of the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles, one for each day.
Holder, candles and flag
Three of these symbols are easy to run together. The kinara is the holder and stands for the ancestors. The candles in it stand for the seven principles: black in the centre for unity, three red to the left and three green to the right. Their colours come from the flag, the bendera, which takes Marcus Garvey’s red, black and green of 1920 and puts black first, “because, in fact, the people come first”.
A cultural holiday
The official account calls Kwanzaa a cultural holiday, not a religious one, and says Africans of all faiths keep it: Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus among them. It is not meant as a substitute for Christmas, Britannica adds, and many people keep the two side by side. An AP-NORC survey in 2019 found that 3% of Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. It is also kept in Canada and the Caribbean. The US Postal Service issued its first Kwanzaa stamp in 1997, printing 133 million of them, and its tenth in 2024.
Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions About Kwanzaa (Official Kwanzaa Website), Organization Us, Official Kwanzaa Website, “Frequently Asked Questions About Kwanzaa”; text summarised from Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (University of Sankore Press, 2008), Official Kwanzaa Website (Organization Us), Why was Kwanzaa created?; Can people celebrate Kwanzaa and Christmas?; How is Kwanzaa related to our struggle
- Kwanzaa (Official Kwanzaa Website), Organization Us, Official Kwanzaa Website, “Kwanzaa”; text summarised from Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (University of Sankore Press, 2008), Official Kwanzaa Website (Organization Us), The Founder’s Welcome
- Greetings, Gifts, and Colors and Decorations (Official Kwanzaa Website), Organization Us, Official Kwanzaa Website, “Greetings, Gifts, and Colors and Decorations”; text summarised from Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (University of Sankore Press, 2008), Official Kwanzaa Website (Organization Us), Greetings; Gifts
- The Symbols of Kwanzaa (Official Kwanzaa Website), Organization Us, Official Kwanzaa Website, “The Symbols of Kwanzaa”; text summarised from Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (University of Sankore Press, 2008), Official Kwanzaa Website (Organization Us), Introduction; Bendera; Primary Symbols
- The Celebration (Official Kwanzaa Website), Organization Us, Official Kwanzaa Website, “The Celebration”; text summarised from Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture (University of Sankore Press, 2008), Official Kwanzaa Website (Organization Us), Candle Lighting
- Kwanzaa (Encyclopaedia Britannica), The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Kwanzaa”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, FAQs and article text
- A beginner’s guide to Kwanzaa (Associated Press, 2025), Associated Press, “A beginner’s guide to Kwanzaa”, December 2025, as republished by the New York Amsterdam News, 30 December 2025, Associated Press (New York Amsterdam News), paragraphs on popularity and religion
- Kwanzaa (National Museum of African American History and Culture), National Museum of African American History and Culture, “Kwanzaa”, Explore: Moments, National Museum of African American History and Culture (Smithsonian), history
- How a Celebrated Artist Redesigned the Stars and Stripes (Smithsonian Magazine), Smithsonian Magazine, on David Hammons’s African American Flag (1990), acquired by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Magazine, paragraph on the colours
- 32c Kwanzaa stamp (Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum), Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, 32c Kwanzaa stamp, Synthia Saint James, 1997, museum ID 1998.2010.797, on Google Arts & Culture, Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum (Google Arts & Culture), object description
- USPS Unveils Kwanzaa Stamp to Celebrate African American Heritage (USPS, 2024), United States Postal Service, national news release, 25 September 2024, United States Postal Service, release text
- What is Kwanzaa? (International African American Museum), International African American Museum, Charleston, “What is Kwanzaa?”, International African American Museum, Seven Symbols of Kwanzaa
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 8, 2026. How we research