Kwanzaa celebration at Central Family Life Center on Staten Island
NEW YORK -- A crowd on Staten Island got together Monday to celebrate the first night of Kwanzaa.
The group packed Central Family Life Center in Stapleton Heights to sing, dance and enjoy food.
The weeklong holiday honors a different principle each day, beginning with unity and followed by self-determination, work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
"You can abide by those seven principles. You can put them in everyday life, everyday living," said Janet G. Robinson, The Kwanzaa Lady.
"It's not a religious holiday. Basically it's a social holiday that brings us together as family," said educator, author and historian Kaba Kamene.
MORE: Kwanzaa celebration starts at City Hall in Paterson, New Jersey
Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966. The last day is Jan. 1.