Kwanzaa 2026: Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Principle for Each Day

Kwanzaa 2026 starts on Saturday, Dec. 26, and ends on Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, according to Maulana Karenga’s site, which says the holiday “is celebrated from December 26 to January 1.” From Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, the first day is 62 days away. This page lists the principle for each day and offers a one-page printable calendar.

When is Kwanzaa 2026?

Each day has one of the seven principles, called the Nguzo Saba. The table follows the order in which the Official Kwanzaa Website lists them. Its greeting page confirms Umoja on the first day and Kujichagulia on the second. The weekdays are computed for 2026.

Day	Date	Principle	Meaning
1	Sat., Dec. 26	Umoja	Unity
2	Sun., Dec. 27	Kujichagulia	Self-Determination
3	Mon., Dec. 28	Ujima	Collective Work and Responsibility
4	Tue., Dec. 29	Ujamaa	Cooperative Economics
5	Wed., Dec. 30	Nia	Purpose
6	Thu., Dec. 31	Kuumba	Creativity
7	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Imani	Faith

Day 7 falls on New Year’s Day, which the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lists as a federal holiday on Jan. 1, 2027. Kwanzaa itself is not a federal holiday. Plan the week on the December 2026 printable calendar and the January 2027 printable calendar.

What is Kwanzaa and where does it come from?

The Official Kwanzaa Website says Kwanzaa “was established in 1966 in the midst of the Black Freedom Movement.” Karenga’s site says he “created Kwanzaa in 1966 as an act of cultural recovery and reconstruction.” The official site’s homepage calls him Dr. Maulana Karenga. The name comes from Swahili and means “first fruits.”

What do you say on each day of Kwanzaa?

The greeting is “Habari gani?” The answer is that day’s principle, “such as ‘Umoja’ on the first day and ‘Kujichagulia’ on the second,” according to the Official Kwanzaa Website. On day 3 the answer would follow the same pattern with the third principle, Ujima.

What are the seven symbols and the candle colors?

The Official Kwanzaa Website lists seven symbols.

Symbol	Meaning on the official site
Mkeka (The Mat)	Tradition and history, “the foundation on which we build”
Kinara (The Candle Holder)	“Our roots, our parent people — continental Africans”
Mishumaa Saba (The Seven Candles)	The Seven Principles
Mazao (The Crops)	“African harvest celebrations and of the rewards of productive and collective labor”
Muhindi (The Corn)	“Our children and our future”
Kikombe cha Umoja (The Unity Cup)	Unity
Zawadi (The Gifts)	“The labor and love of parents and the commitments made and kept by the children”

The same site says “the colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green”: black for the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle. The black candle is lit first on the first day, and the remaining candles are lit afterwards from left to right on the following days.

What is the Kwanzaa 2026 theme?

The Official Kwanzaa Website lists the 2026 theme as “Embracing the Principles and Culture of Kwanzaa: Creating, Celebrating and Sharing Good in the World.” In 2025, the theme was “Practicing the Seven Principles in Dimly-Lit Times: Lifting Up the Light, Hurrying the Dawn.”

Printable Kwanzaa 2026 calendar

The printable is a one-page, seven-day sheet with the date, weekday and principle for each day, plus the greeting “Habari gani?” Mark Dec. 26 on the December 2026 printable calendar and Jan. 1 on the January 2027 printable calendar. For other December dates, see December 2026 important dates and holidays, the Hanukkah 2026 dates and the Christmas 2026 countdown.

Not confirmed in this story: any local event schedules.