Lubna Muhammad has celebrated Kwanzaa for more than 30 years.
"Kwanzaa is more than a holiday--[it's] a culture that should be applied to everyday life," says Muhammad, owner of Top Shelf Plus in Newark, N.J.
Muhammad says she began observing Kwanzaa because she felt its core message spoke to both her culture and spirit.
"When you go to work, you need umoja every day--that's unity. You need unity with your coworkers," she says.
Muhammad isn't alone. More than 30 million people in America celebrate Kwanzaa, according to a spokesperson from the African American Cultural Center.
Kwanzaa, which means "first fruits of the harvest" in Swahili, was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University at Long Beach, to reinforce positive values and strengthen bonds within the Black community.
But the holiday isn't just for Blacks--people of all races celebrate Kwanzaa.
The Seven Principles serve as the foundation of Kwanzaa. They are: unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
One principle per day is celebrated over the course of the seven days from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
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