Family Traditions: The Building of Memories and a Sense of Belonging

Family Traditions: The Building of Memories and a Sense of Belonging By: Zestoile Rivett

There are so many different traditions in the world. Within these traditions are religion, culture, and family roots or ancestry. However, traditions get lost and lose their significance in the lives of people. It is the responsibility of the people to keep these traditions alive. As a family woman who upholds the traditions of my family and spiritual family, I have started teaching my kids, especially since the pandemic. Traditions are important, as it lends completeness, a sense of belonging, and the creation of memories. came from and my family tree. I am so thankful to this day that I created a special bond with my grandmother.

From that bond, I learned our family’s traditions and learned how to implement them into my daily living. Grandma cooked dinner every night and mandated for all of my family members to be there. Cooking with Grandma was a classroom lesson. She shared her favorite recipes passed down from her mother, her grandmother, her greatgrandmother, and so on. Often, she would ask all the females in the family to come to the kitchen to lend a hand in cooking. This allowed us to learn and hear so many stories from this wise woman we called “Grandma.” She would ask the men to set the dining room table. Once the meal was done, everyone would sit and eat the family meal. We would laugh and talk about life, and the elders would talk about their different walks of life, some even giving pointers on how to do things better or differently. This created connection and unity in one place.

Family traditions get lost because there is no value in upholding them. We must value our traditions in order to pass them down to the younger generations. The younger generations simply don’t have time or understand the worth in tradition. Many families don’t even go on vacations together anymore, were at one point, that was the general idea of a vacation to be together! Everything a family does together builds memories. The memories add to the traditions.

You want to give your family a sense of belonging. Adding something that your family and generations can hold dear will add into the pot that the ancestors created. Family reunions were created for that purpose- to see, feel, and touch your loved ones physically and to add to the pot of tradition. Family reunions offer the opportunity to sit around the yard and hear old stories from our elders. The stories about slavery, freedom, and even how they survived blatant racism that can’t hold a candle to what we experience today. The stories of how it was hard growing up in a world full of hate, crime, racism, and how they overcame obstacles we can’t even imagine. Have the older generation tell how they got their first house, the family house, or how our ancestors played a part in cultivating the land you are standing on.

I remember when I first came to the United States from the Caribbean. I asked one of my friends about their family background. He simply responded, “I don’t know. My parents

never talk about our family and our history”. So many in the African-American community do not know their family history. They are in religions, cultures, or communities that are far from their family’s ancestry. Knowing where you came from will help you see where you are now, how you got there, and give you the strength to keep going.

In this issue focusing on generational wealth, understand that “wealth” is far more than just finances. It encompasses family traditions. Think about creating and making your own family traditions or investigating your family history. Many would say, “Well, I am not close to my family” or “I don’t have any family.” That may be true for a lot of people, but that is when you build your tribe, your community. Family doesn’t always have to be blood if the family you are from is unknown or not appealing. Traditions can be created with spiritual family or those you consider family. This is what we need as the African-American community. Let’s discover who we are and give the younger generation “jewels.”