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2026 First-Class Forever Stamp,Kwanzaa
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2026 Kwanzaa
- Commemorates African-American winter holiday
- 11th stamp in series
- Design features two of seven symbols of Kwanzaa
Stamp Category: Special
Set: Kwanzaa
Value: 82¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: September 23, 2026
First Day City: Norfolk, Virginia
Quantity Issued: 10,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was issued in honor of the African-American holiday, Kwanzaa, which is celebrated December 26 through January 1.
About the stamp design: The design features a father and daughter. They are wearing traditional African clothes. The father is holding a unity cup (or kikombe cha umaja) and the daughter holds a wrapped gift (known as a zawadi).
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Norfolk, Virginia.
About the Kwanzaa set: The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued in 1997. Kwanzaa is a week-long cultural holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1, honoring African heritage and African American culture. Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, it centers around seven principles called the Nguzo Saba, such as unity, self-determination, and collective work. Each day of Kwanzaa highlights one of these principles through ceremonies, candle lighting, and community gatherings.
History the stamp represents: Throughout Kwanzaa, the unity cup sits alongside the candles and crops. Then, on December 31, it becomes the highlight of the day’s festivities.
Dr. Maulana Karenga established the kikombe cha umoja, or unity cup, as one of Kwanzaa’s seven basic symbols when he created the African American holiday in 1966. The cup represents unity among families, communities, and people of African descent.
Its central role comes during the Karamu feast on Kwanzaa’s sixth day. Family members and guests drink water, juice, or wine from the cup as a sign of togetherness. The eldest person present then performs the tambiko, or libation ritual, honoring the ancestors and asking them to bless those who are absent. The remaining liquid is poured onto the ground, sometimes toward the four directions - north, south, east, and west.
Libation ceremonies have roots in many African cultures. Reserving the final portion for the ancestors is particularly associated with Igbo tradition in Nigeria.
Unity cups may be wooden, ceramic, or metal, decorated with African designs or Kwanzaa’s colors. Passed among the living and used to remember the dead, the cup connects family, community, and generations and is central to Kwanzaa celebrations.
2026 Kwanzaa
- Commemorates African-American winter holiday
- 11th stamp in series
- Design features two of seven symbols of Kwanzaa
Stamp Category: Special
Set: Kwanzaa
Value: 82¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: September 23, 2026
First Day City: Norfolk, Virginia
Quantity Issued: 10,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Pane of 20
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp was issued in honor of the African-American holiday, Kwanzaa, which is celebrated December 26 through January 1.
About the stamp design: The design features a father and daughter. They are wearing traditional African clothes. The father is holding a unity cup (or kikombe cha umaja) and the daughter holds a wrapped gift (known as a zawadi).
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in Norfolk, Virginia.
About the Kwanzaa set: The first Kwanzaa stamp was issued in 1997. Kwanzaa is a week-long cultural holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1, honoring African heritage and African American culture. Created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, it centers around seven principles called the Nguzo Saba, such as unity, self-determination, and collective work. Each day of Kwanzaa highlights one of these principles through ceremonies, candle lighting, and community gatherings.
History the stamp represents: Throughout Kwanzaa, the unity cup sits alongside the candles and crops. Then, on December 31, it becomes the highlight of the day’s festivities.
Dr. Maulana Karenga established the kikombe cha umoja, or unity cup, as one of Kwanzaa’s seven basic symbols when he created the African American holiday in 1966. The cup represents unity among families, communities, and people of African descent.
Its central role comes during the Karamu feast on Kwanzaa’s sixth day. Family members and guests drink water, juice, or wine from the cup as a sign of togetherness. The eldest person present then performs the tambiko, or libation ritual, honoring the ancestors and asking them to bless those who are absent. The remaining liquid is poured onto the ground, sometimes toward the four directions - north, south, east, and west.
Libation ceremonies have roots in many African cultures. Reserving the final portion for the ancestors is particularly associated with Igbo tradition in Nigeria.
Unity cups may be wooden, ceramic, or metal, decorated with African designs or Kwanzaa’s colors. Passed among the living and used to remember the dead, the cup connects family, community, and generations and is central to Kwanzaa celebrations.
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