Seven candles were lit one by one on Thursday night as the annual celebration of Kwanzaa began.
The celebration was put on by the African Student Association, the Multicultural Center and the Multicultural Advisors of Housing and Residence Life.
Poem reading and candle lighting took place in the Kinghorn multipurpose room, where students gathered to embrace the African culture.
Leda Fortier, junior social work major and multicultural advisor, was handed the job of lighting the candles.
The seven candles all represent a principal that are the guidelines of the holiday Fortier said.
The seven principals are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.
Every table was filled with students and family members who ate a Kwanzaa-inspired meal.
Cliffton Snorton, assistant director of the Multicultural Center, said that each dish was picked to represent the holiday.
"We tried to use traditional African foods and African American foods," he said. "The traditional African foods were prepared by the students of the African Student Association and the African American foods were students who volunteered to cook their favorite meals."
Foods such as sweet potato pie, African rice, fried chicken, collard greens and corn bread were served at this free event.
The holiday celebrates the African tradition through family and friends, Snorton said.
Sarah Mitchem, senior advertising major, said she learned more about the holiday than she knew before the event.
"I wasn't as familiar with this holiday as some people and it was really good for me to come and see how the celebration actually worked," she said. "I actually didn't know that there were seven candles and that each one meant something in particular."
Kwanzaa is celebrated every year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
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