For sophomore Jara Montez, winter break doesn’t signify time off for Christmas but for her favorite holiday, Kwanzaa. Montez’s parents, Stacye Montez and Roqua Montez, decided to celebrate Kwanzaa after Montez’s birth. This year they will be celebrating the holiday for the 15th year. “Kwanzaa allows us to celebrate the African-American culture in our suburban environment,” Stacye Montez said.

The holiday is celebrated from Dec. 26 until Jan. 1 every year, and although gifts are not traditionally part of the celebration, the Montez family chooses to give gifts at the end of each day. However, the Montez family does not celebrate just for the gifts. “It’s more than presents,” Montez said. “You really focus on yourself and your family members.”

The history of Kwanzaa is fairly recent. In 1966, African -American nationalist Ron Karenga created it. The holiday, which lasts for seven days, is based on what Karenga called “The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa.” These “principles” are daily topics of discussion and include Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination, Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics ), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

Kwanzaa is celebrated with candles on a kinara, almost the equivalent of a menorah for Hanukkah. Unlike Hanukkah, though, each candle has a specific color, the first being black, the second red, the third green and so on for all seven candles. Every day, a new daily topic is discussed from “The Seven Principles.”

Kwanzaa is foreign to many people, but Stacye Montez hopes that more will get involved. “Overall, I think Gunn students, their families and Palo Altans can enlighten their minds and broaden their horizons with the understanding of this cultural holiday,” Stacye Montez said.

Montez plans on continuing to celebrate as she gets older and introduce new people to the holiday. “I really like celebrating it because it brings everyone together to talk about things we usually forget about,” Montez said.