Which principle corresponds to the first day of Kwanzaa? The first day corresponds to Umoja, the Swahili word for “unity.” Umoja is the first of Kwanzaa’s Nguzo Saba, or Seven Principles, and asks celebrants to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
Kwanzaa begins on December 26 and continues for seven days. Each day is dedicated to one principle, in a fixed order: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, and Imani. The sequence moves from unity and self-definition toward collective work, economic cooperation, purpose, creativity, and faith.
During a Kwanzaa ceremony, the principle of the day may be discussed alongside the lighting of a candle on the kinara. Umoja is easy to confuse with Ujima because both concern community life. Ujima means collective work and responsibility, however, and belongs to the third day. Imani, meaning faith, is reserved for the seventh day.