What Kwanzaa is

A seven-day celebration of African-American heritage running from 26 December to 1 January, created by Maulana Karenga in 1966. Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles, from unity to faith, with a candle lit on the kinara for each.

It was designed as a cultural rather than religious observance, and is kept alongside u2014 not instead of u2014 whatever else a household marks in late December.

Why this date does not move

The countdown at the top of this page is live, and the date beneath it is the next occurrence. This is a fixed date: it falls on the same day of the month every year, so only the weekday changes.

The date follows a fixed calendar rule, so it can be computed years ahead. Where a country observes this as a public holiday, the official government calendar remains the authority for whether the day off is moved when it falls on a weekend.

What is coming up next

Once this date passes, the countdown moves on according to the recurrence rule described above. Calculated lunar dates remain estimates until the relevant calendar or local authority confirms them. See the full list of upcoming events, or use the countdown timer for a duration of your own.