Kwanzaa Trivia
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113 free Kwanzaa trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
44 free Kwanzaa trivia questions with answers. Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration of African-American culture built around seven principles, seven symbols and a branch of candles called the kinara. This quiz covers the whole of it: the activist who created the holiday in 1966, the Swahili phrase behind the name, why the word carries an extra letter, what each of the Nguzo Saba principles means, the colours and lighting of the candles, the unity cup and the feast, and the greeting exchanged on each of the seven days. It is written for classrooms, community celebrations, cultural programs and anyone brushing up before December 26. Roughly a third of the questions are easy enough for younger celebrants (how many candles, what colours, when it starts); the rest reach into the history and the meanings of the Swahili terms. Every answer is checked against the Kwanzaa entry in the encyclopedia and the biography of its founder, and the sentence that establishes it is shown under each question, so a teacher or host can confirm any detail on the spot.
30 of 113 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who created Kwanzaa?
Maulana Karenga
Maulana Karenga, an activist and later a professor of Africana studies, created Kwanzaa as a cultural holiday for African Americans rooted in African harvest traditions.
Q 02In what year was Kwanzaa first celebrated?
1966
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966, in Los Angeles, as a week-long holiday for African Americans, and spread nationally over the following decades.
Q 03On what date does Kwanzaa begin each year?
December 26
Kwanzaa begins on December 26, the day after Christmas, and a different principle is honoured on each of its seven days.
Q 04On what date does Kwanzaa end?
January 1
Kwanzaa ends on January 1, the seventh day, when the last of the seven candles is lit.
Q 05The name Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase, "matunda ya kwanza", meaning what?
First fruits
"Matunda ya kwanza" means "first fruits"; Karenga modelled Kwanzaa on African first-fruits harvest festivals held around the southern-hemisphere summer solstice.
Q 06Why was an extra letter added so the name is spelled "Kwanzaa" rather than "kwanza"?
To give it a symbolic seven letters
The extra "a" gives the name a symbolic seven letters, matching the holiday's seven days, seven principles and seven symbols.
Q 07What is the Swahili name for the seven principles of Kwanzaa?
Nguzo Saba
Nguzo Saba is Swahili for "seven principles"; Karenga assigned one principle to each of the holiday's seven days.
Q 08Which principle, celebrated on the first day, means "unity"?
Umoja
Umoja, meaning unity, is the first of the seven principles and is honoured on the first day of Kwanzaa.
Q 09Which principle stands for "collective work and responsibility"?
Ujima
Ujima, the third principle, means collective work and responsibility: building the community together and treating its problems as shared problems to solve together.
Q 10Which principle refers to "cooperative economics"?
Ujamaa
It encourages building and profiting from Black-owned businesses together.
Q 11Which Kwanzaa principle means "purpose"?
Nia
Nia is about making community-building a collective vocation.
Q 12Which principle stands for "creativity"?
Kuumba
It is celebrated on the sixth day, alongside the Karamu feast.
Q 13Which principle, marking the final day, means "faith"?
Imani
Imani, the seventh principle, means faith: believing in the people, parents, teachers and leaders, and in the righteousness of the struggle.
Q 14What is the Kwanzaa candle holder called?
Q 21Which Kwanzaa symbol is used to pour libations in honour of the ancestors?
The unity cup
The unity cup is used to pour a libation for the ancestors, and family members drink from it to symbolise unity.
Q 22What does the Kwanzaa term "Zawadi" refer to?
Gifts
Zawadi are the gifts, usually given to children on the last day of Kwanzaa, often handmade rather than store-bought to avoid commercialism.
Q 23The Kwanzaa Karamu is formally the "Feast of" what?
Faith
The Karamu is the Feast of Faith, a communal meal that traditionally includes a libation, remembrance of the ancestors and cultural performances.
Kinara
The kinara is the candle holder at the centre of the Kwanzaa table; its candles are known collectively as the Mishumaa Saba.
Q 15How many candles does the Kwanzaa candle holder hold?
Seven
Seven candles, collectively called the Mishumaa Saba, one for each principle.
Q 16What colours are the Kwanzaa candles?
One black, three red, three green
One black candle stands in the centre, with three red candles on one side and three green on the other, the colours of the Pan-African flag.
Q 17On the candle holder, what does the single black candle in the middle represent?
Unity
The black centre candle represents unity and the people themselves, and it is the first candle lit during the holiday.
Q 18The mat on which the other Kwanzaa symbols are placed is called what?
Mkeka
Everything else on the table sits on top of the Mkeka.
Q 19What does the Kwanzaa symbol "mazao" refer to?
Crops
The crops recall the harvest-festival roots of the holiday.
Q 20The Kwanzaa symbol "Mahindi" is corn, placed to represent what?
The children
An ear of corn is often set out for each child in the household.
Q 24On which day of Kwanzaa is the Karamu feast usually held?
December 31
The Karamu is held on December 31, the sixth day of Kwanzaa, as the communal feast before the final day.
Q 25What is the daily Kwanzaa greeting, "Habari Gani?", in Swahili?
How are you?
"Habari gani?" means "How are you?" or "What's the news?"; during Kwanzaa the reply is the principle of the day, such as "Umoja!"
Q 26The black, red and green flag associated with Kwanzaa is known by which Swahili name?
Bendera
Bendera is Swahili for "flag"; the black, red and green bendera is a supplemental Kwanzaa symbol displayed in the home.
Q 27Which historical event's aftermath prompted the creation of Kwanzaa?
The Watts riots
The Watts riots of August 1965 in Los Angeles prompted the creation of Kwanzaa as a holiday to unite and empower Black Americans.
Q 28Under what birth name was Kwanzaa's creator born in 1941?
Ronald McKinley Everett
Karenga was born Ronald McKinley Everett on July 14, 1941; he adopted the name Maulana Karenga during the 1960s.
Q 29Karenga's adopted title "Maulana" means what in Swahili?
Master teacher
"Maulana" is a Swahili title, borrowed from Arabic, meaning "master teacher"; Karenga adopted it together with the surname Karenga in the 1960s.
Q 30Besides creating Kwanzaa, Karenga co-founded which Black nationalist group in 1965?
The US Organization
Karenga co-founded the US Organization in Los Angeles in 1965, a cultural Black nationalist group that became a bitter rival of the Black Panther Party.