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Kwanzaa
or Kwan·za
[ kwahn-zuh ]
noun
, plural Kwan·zaas.
- a harvest festival celebrated from December 26th until January 1st in some African American communities.
Kwanzaa
/ ˈkwænzɑː /
noun
- a seven-day festival beginning on Dec 26 when African-Americans celebrate family, community, and culture
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Kwanzaa1
First recorded in 1965–70; from Swahili kwanza “first, firstly”; short for matunda ya kwanza, “first fruits (of the harvest)” (the spelling -za was changed to -zaa to lengthen the word so that each of the seven children who were first taught the festival would have their own letter)
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Word History and Origins
Origin of Kwanzaa1
C20: from Swahili ( matunda ya ) kwanza first (fruits)
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