My Family Reunion Traditions

Did you know that July is National Family Reunion Month?  All this time I thought it was just a coincidence that all of my family reunions have been in July. 🙂

The tradition for family reunions for African Americans were inspired by the Great Migration (of 4 million African Americans from the South to the North) but dates back to the Emancipation when former slaves would attempt to find missing family members (Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).

I was supposed to attend a very special family reunion this July in which I was going to meet a group of family members I have right here in California that I didn’t know about until I took Ancestry.com’s DNA test and looked up my relatives on my results.  Someone had researched my family history and my aunt sent it to me 20 years prior.  I had no way of being certain that the people listed on my family tree actually were my ancestors until AncestryDNA proved they were.  Thanks to covid-19, I will have to wait until the next Family Reunion Month to meet them.

What Do You Do at a Family Reunion?

There are many activities that you can plan for a family reunion, but they generally include some sort of welcome or meet and greet; group games; incorporates family history; and creates memories.

Welcome Reception

Having a welcome committee to greet family members as they arrive is a good idea. At the family reunions I have attended, this is when dinner is served and everyone receives an itinerary for the weekend and a gift bag with maps of the destination city and the family tee shirt. The purpose of this night is to meet and greet your family members so there is usually some sort of ice breaker such as conversation starters to have for those seated at the same table. Alternatively, you may want to have a family trivia game or a scavenger hunt. This is also a good time to have a photo booth set up for everyone to take their pictures.

Group Games

The second day of my family reunion weekends have always included wearing the family tee shirt to the family picnic. This is a perfect time to have some more group games, especially for the children, such as tug-of-war or water balloon fights. This is a good day to plan outings, such as a tour or shopping.

Incorporate Family History

The way that my family has incorporated our family history is by holding our reunions in an ancestors’ hometowns. We usually also had a speech from an elder family at the welcome reception. You can have a crossword of family surnames, hometowns, etc. You can have family members contribute recipes, including recipes from ancestors, for a family heritage cookbook. Or you can provide customized “sweet memories” candy bars with family history trivia on the wrappers (pictured).

Create Memories

Usually my family reunions have concluded by attending church service together. Some other activities that you can do on the last day is have a slide show of the photos that were taken in the photo booth. Another way to create memories is to make a documentary by having a videographer record a short interview of all of the family members. You can also have a family reunion awards ceremony.

Other Family Reunion Ideas

There are countless other family reunion ideas. Here are a few:

• Family Talent Show
• Family Recipe Cook-off
• Crafts, such as creating a family crest or a heritage album
• An outdoor movie night
• A Fish Fry Meet and Greet
• A cruise or another destination reunion
• A Day-in-the-Life slide show

What does your family do at your family reunions? Please share below.

Until next time! 💕