Kwanzaa Event This Weekend

December 8 all-day event

23rd Annual Kwanzaa Celebration
Take the whole family to the 23rd annual day-long festive cultural event to celebrate the seven principles of Kwanzaa, co-sponsored by the Queens Borough President’s Office. Until 8 PM, at the Florence E. Smith Community Center, 102-19 34th Avenue, Corona. Call the Library for details: 718-651-1100.
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A quick primer on Kwanzaa: It is a holiday inspired by the ancestors of African Americans, celebrated to strengthen family, community, and culture (Quinnipiac Chronicle). Kwanzaa is celebrated on the last seven days of the year, Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. On each of those days, a candle is lit of the seven-branched Kinara and one of the seven principles is acknowledged and taught: self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. The last day, a Day of Meditation, ends with a feast of international foods.

The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza,” meaning “first fruits” in Swahili.