Kwanzaa
The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture describes Kwanzaa as a week-long African American and Pan-African cultural celebration observed from December 26 to January 1 and created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga.
Date and recurrence
26 December through 1 January
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule.
Scope and status
The verified scope stored for this record is African American and Pan-African cultural holiday. The site preserves that boundary and does not infer broader government, global or public-holiday status from the observance name alone.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Faith Context Respect.
Sources
- Smithsonian NMAAHC — KwanzaaNational Cultural Institution
Frequently asked questions
When is Kwanzaa?
26 December through 1 January The stored recurrence guidance is: 26 December through 1 January each year.
Does Kwanzaa fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is Kwanzaa an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: African American and Pan-African cultural holiday. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Kwanzaa?
The stored designation basis is: The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture describes Kwanzaa as a week-long African American and Pan-African cultural celebration observed from December 26 to January 1 and created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga.. Supporting provenance includes Smithsonian NMAAHC — Kwanzaa. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Kwanzaa international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this record in the authority dataset. The source-defined scope is: African American and Pan-African cultural holiday. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-07.
Other observances on December 26
These records also resolve to December 26, 2026 under the current authority data.
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National Whiners Day
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