Kwanzaa

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 26, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>Kwanzaa</strong> &#149; \KWAHN-zuh\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Kwanzaa</em> is an African-American cultural festival held from December 26 to January 1.</p> <p>// <em>Kwanzaa</em> is celebrated with candle lighting ceremonies.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kwanzaa">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"[Marilyn Hemingway] said that more and more people have incorporated <em>Kwanzaa</em> in their celebrations. The seven-day holiday was first celebrated in Los Angeles in 1966 and was founded by scholar, author and activist Maulana Karenga as an alternative to the traditional Christmas holiday as a way to bring the African American community together…." — Roger Yale, <em>The Post &amp; Courier</em> (Charleston, South Carolina), 17 Nov. 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>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 <em>Kwanzaa</em>, a name he took from a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Swahili?utm_campaign=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=wotd&amp;utm_content=didyouknow">Swahili</a> 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.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>