Kwanzaa : M-W's Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for December 26 is:

Kwanzaa \KWAHN-zuh\ noun

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

Example sentence:

A joyous family spirit pervaded the Allen family's Kwanzaa celebration as three generations came together for a delightful meal and a beautiful candle-lighting ceremony.

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."

And now you know.