Q 01/05

Who created Kwanzaa?

A) Maulana Karenga

B) Marcus Garvey

C) Martin Luther King Jr.

D) Malcolm X

Answer · why

A) Maulana Karenga

He also co-founded the Black nationalist US Organization the year before.

Q 02/05

In what year was Kwanzaa first celebrated?

A) 1949

B) 1966

C) 1976

D) 1988

Answer · why

B) 1966

Karenga created it in the aftermath of the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles.

Q 03/05

On what date does Kwanzaa begin each year?

A) December 1

B) December 25

C) December 26

D) January 1

Answer · why

C) December 26

It runs for seven days, ending on January 1.

Q 04/05

On what date does Kwanzaa end?

A) December 25

B) December 31

C) January 6

D) January 1

Answer · why

D) January 1

The seven-day span mirrors the holiday's seven principles.

Q 05/05

The name Kwanzaa comes from a Swahili phrase, "matunda ya kwanza", meaning what?

A) First fruits

B) Season of light

C) Time of unity

D) Gathering of elders

Answer · why

A) First fruits

Karenga modelled it on African harvest festivals that fall around the southern solstice.