Today marks the first day of Kwanzaa, a week-long holiday that celebrates African American culture and family.

On each evening of Kwanzaa, celebrators light a candle representing the each of the holiday’s principles. These include unity, self-determination, collective works and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

The colors of each candle also carry significance. The red candle represents the blood that was shed, the black represents people and green represents the future.

Evening celebrations begin with the pouring of libation and an ancestral drum call to honor ancestors.