The African drummers play music after the lighting of boathouse row in honor of the Kwanzaa holiday, Dec. 26, 2018, in Philadelphia. (Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)

KWANZAA IS a week-long celebration of African American culture, history, values and community that started Thursday and continues through the end of the year.

Maulana Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1996 to celebrate the history, values, family, community and culture of African Americans. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, which is a very widely spoken language in Africa, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture.

There are seven principles of Kwanzaa, including Umoja or unity; Kujichagulia, meaning self-determination; Ujima, which means collective work and responsibility; Ujamaa, which is cooperative economics; Nia or purpose; Kuumba, which is creativity; and Imani, which means faith.

Each of the principles is celebrated on a different day from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.

Families and communities come together for activities throughout the week. Each day, a candle is lit to highlight the principle of the day and to find its meaning. Participants may recite the sayings or writings of influential black thinkers or original poetry, take part in African drumming and share a meal of African-inspired foods.

The National Museum of African American History & Culture suggests activities for families to do together to celebrate the week-long extravaganza. These include coloring pages from Adinkra Coloring Book, which shows symbols that originated in Ghana with the Akan people and are used to pass on traditional wisdom or reading about African American history and culture and watching educational videos on the heritage of African Americans to get a sense of what the celebration is all about.

African American meals play a big role during the festivities. Families and communities share feasts throughout the week that feature African dishes. People can also make the food at their home and celebrate the food traditions that way.

Food & Wine gives a list of meals that celebrate African culture, including Jamaican jerk chicken, Mirliton and Gulf Shrimp Casserole, glazed beef shanks with coffee and peanuts and Nigerian clay pot chicken.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Wheeling sends information to members to raise awareness of Kwanzaa recognizing African American culture. It is a cultural celebration observed personally by individuals or families in the Ohio Valley rather than a gathering, said Darryl Clausell, president of the NAACP Wheeling.

Clausell said through the holidays of Christmas and New Year’s Day, Kwanzaa doesn’t receive as much attention. But as NAACP chapter president, he pledges to bring greater awareness to its principles as stepping stones of growth individually, for families and the community.

He said the urban renewal movement in Wheeling basically eradicated Black community, and without consistent awareness Kwanzaa will become a lost observance.

“Kwanzaa is the perfect starting place for celebrating African culture and its relationship to the development of African American communities in our local area,” he added.