Santiago Family Reunions have been going on for many years in their current form. They're held at "El Taino", my cousin Johnny's countryside restaurant/catering hall. Johnny Santiago has been extremely generous in hosting these beautiful gatherings since they began about twenty-five years ago. My cousin Marta Gonzalez told me of a family story that in the late 1800s and early 1900s holiday family
gatherings would last a week because the travel time by foot, horse and carriage and the lack of telephones required an open-house approach to fit in needs of the day. Like today, these gatherings included lots of home cooking, drink, live music and dancing. In addition to family, neighbors and local personalities would also be in attendance. The 2013 New Year's Day gathering \marked an important generational transition. My cousin Johnny has passed the torch and given his son Ricardo, the running of "El Taino" restaurant and therefore the organizing of our New Year family gathering. Ricardo did a wonderful job and the event was as happy as ever. On occasions when it was more crowded, there were reported to have been approximately 200 souls. Our family diaspora finds us all over the US and other places in the Americas and Europe although many are still in various cities on the island of "el encanto". A bit of history: my mother's grandfather was widowed and married a much younger woman who had three sisters. These three (Otaño) sisters ended up marrying this man's three sons (one was my grandad Juan Liberato Santiago)! This same (maternal) granddad, it so happens, is a second cousin (twice over) to my paternal grandmother (Monserrate Rodriguez-Cardona). I have a huge and complicated (maternal-paternal) family tree with about one hundred and ten first-cousins......
Part of the reason for this interesting & prolific gene pool is that many of our people were farmers whose many children were helpful on the farms. They came from, what were then, isolated parts of the island settled by folks who originally came from Galicia (Spain), France, the Canary Islands (isleños) and England. Several cousins have been compiling a genealogical history that indicates that most of our family immigrated to the "island of enchantment" in the mid to late 1800s. More to be revealed as you fill in the gaps. Of course, the circle of life has taken many of our beloved "viejitos" but it has brought in many beautiful shiny new beings into the family fold......both adults (by marriage) and babies. Within the last few years we lost our precious Cruzita Santiago, uncle Virgilio, Uncle Juancho and Aunt Juanita.....and more. Too many of my cousins on these occasions have been new to me and I don't yet know (or yet remember.....sorry:) their names....as I know them I'll post them. Dear family, please let me know of any errors omissions and/or exaggerations (although Juan "L" surely would have been OK with some of that:). My apologies if I missed photographing you and yours......next time......if you like you can tag me with your pics and I'll add them to this album. Happy New Year....here's wishing you all happiness, abundance, health and all the things you've wanted for yourselves.....see you next year!!! All my love to you. Abrazos y besos to all far and wide....
Con mucho carino, besos y abrazos para todos, Eliud
