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Santiago family New Year gathering - Lares, Puerto Rico 01-01-12

For a complete slideshow see: www.flickr.com/photos/artedelares/sets/72157628836295237/...

Saludos y felicidades a todos. This note is for friends and family who have not kept up with family happenings or may not be fully aware of our beautiful history. Our traditional New Years Day family reunion in Lares, Puerto Rico is always a source of happiness, surprises, hugs, kisses, love and great conversations...this one was no exception.

Santiago Family Reunions have been going on for many years. 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.

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.

This year's gathering was not particularly well attended but as happy as ever. On ocasions 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 (Genara Santiago or "Naro") 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 farners 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 geneological 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.

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 you 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....

By the way, you can see photos previous years of family gatherings here. Enjoy!

2007 www.flickr.com/photos/artedelares/sets/72157594459022157/...

2009 www.flickr.com/photos/artedelares/sets/72157612358069237/...

2010 www.flickr.com/photos/artedelares/sets/72157623214635632/...

Taken on: January 1, 2012

Tags:

Latin American/Caribbean holidays

Navidades

Puerto Rico

documentary photography

family New Year gathering - Lares

photojournalism

Lares

USA

santiago family

families in Puerto Rico

family gatherings « less

Sets appears in: • Santiago Family New Year reunion of January 1, 20012

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