On Saturday, many African-Americans began observing Kwanzaa, a weeklong holiday celebrating their African roots. Focusing on growth as individuals, family and communities, Kwanzaa offers lessons for everyone.

Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at California State University, Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" meaning "first fruits." Many elements of Kwanzaa derive from the African harvest celebration.

"Essentially, Kwanzaa is a time for reflection but it's also a time to basically recharge and evaluate your paths in life," stated Frank Parrish, information technology architect with Home Depot. "It's a setting to look at who you are as an individual and who you should be as a family."

Although Frank and his wife, Deborah, have previously participated in Kwanzaa celebrations, this year is the first time the Smyrna residents will lead the celebration as a family. An estimated 20 million people observe Kwanzaa across the world.

"Our daughter is getting older, and she wants to learn and grow," said Deborah, mother of first-grader, Akilah Parrish.

Each day of Kwanzaa, family and friends gather to discuss and commit to one of seven guiding principles from African values emphasizing the role of family and community in African-American culture: Unity (Umoja), Self-Determination (Kujichagulia), Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima), Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa), Purpose (Nia), Creativity (Kuumba) and Faith (Imani).

"Because of the history in the U.S., a lot of African-Americans were stripped of their native traditions," Frank said. "I think this is an attempt for African-Americans to get back to a tradition that is rooted in Africa but celebrated in the U.S.

"Kwanzaa is a way to get African-Americans to focus on their heritage and get back to their roots," he added.

The family also lights a candle each day representing one of the seven principles and drinks from a Unity Cup. The candles are held by a Kinara (candleholder), symbolic of African-American roots in continental Africa.

Other symbols of Kwanzaa include a straw mat symbolic of a foundation built on tradition and history, ears of corn representing children of the household, fruit representing the African harvest celebration, and modest gifts representing the labor and love of parents.

"The values are very strong. It's not religious. It's something we can do in our everyday lives," said Deborah, lead developer of Information Technology with Home Depot.

"This will be a new tradition for our family, and we are anxious to share these guiding principles with our daughter so that we can watch her grow into a strong, confident and productive African-American," she added. "(Akilah) can use it throughout her life."

"If you start to dissect other people's traditions this time of year, they correlate to the seven principles of Kwanzaa," Frank said. "You could take this out of context, and anyone could celebrate Kwanzaa and benefit from it."