Dr. Cheri Erdman, Celebrant

Serving Greater Daytona Beach Area, Volusia County, and Central Florida

A Gathering of the Tribes: Family Reunions

by Dr. Cheri Erdman, Celebrant
Originally Printed in
The Island Voice
September/October 2008

For better or for worse, families are drawn to be together for holidays like Thanksgiving and special occasions like weddings and funerals. Some families press even further by gathering their tribes for family reunions. There must be some deep magnetism that draws related people to assemble in these circumstances – possibly something to do with their genes combined with celebrating their past, present and future. 

Families gather for reunions to reconnect, to find and experience their roots, to have a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. A regular reunion, even a small one, helps kids grow up with a sense of family history, gives the adults an opportunity to remember their ancestry and provides the elders a chance to share their stories of the family’s past. 

Having a Celebrant at your family reunion can transform the get-together from a scattered collection of activities to a coherent, mindful and intentional event. Celebrants can provide the heart of the reunion by creating a ceremony that welcomes the newest members, honors the elders and remembers those who have passed on. A Celebrant ceremony is the place where the generations line up to be acknowledged, included and celebrated; where a family story or theme is created to join young and old, the newly born and newly departed. 

Whether you hire a Celebrant to create and officiate at your family reunion or not, here are some fun ideas that you may consider incorporating into your next gathering of your tribe: 

· Organize a Family Mentoring Program where every child between 7 and 15 is paired with a family mentor. Between reunions the children check in with their mentors about their career aspirations, listing five steps they will take to achieve them.

· Family Alphabet Chant: Create a family cheer or song in which each letter in the family name stands for something. Try to weave family history into it, letting the letters stand for the hometown, professions of prominent family members, or family lore. Repeat at every reunion.

· One Generation Reunion: Organize a weekend reunion with your siblings, meeting at a hotel where the main activity is talking and getting to know each other better. Each person brings a book or special item to share with others.

 There is a wonderful magazine called Reunions (800-373-7933, www.reunionsmag.com) that is helpful for planning the next gathering of the tribes:

· Give yourself more lead-time than you think you need.

· Never do it alone: create a family committee to help with every phase.

· Make it affordable for everyone.

· Provide activities for everyone, especially kids who tend to get bored easily.

· Explore family history: tell stories, organize displays, and visit cemeteries.

I'll add a last tip: Hire a Celebrant to create a ceremony that will center the gathering on what is  important to your family, providing your reunion more heart, more meaning, more  connection.

Back to Cheri In Print