Roots Day

National Roots Day, December 23, gives people the opportunity to delve deeper and reflect on their family's heritage, history and ancestry. The holiday season is the perfect time to learn about your ancestors and gather family information. There is always one family member who has taken on the role of family historian and eagerly shares memories and stories at the dinner table. While it is a tedious process (if you decide to really dig deep), it is worthwhile to trace your lineage. You may be related to Elvis Presley for all you know, or someone who was part of an important historical event.

Family comes first, and the holiday season is the ideal time for a traditional holiday like Roots Day, which illustrates the importance of family, especially during these times. The holiday season is the one time of year when the entire family comes together, so it is only fitting that ancestral heritage is celebrated during this time. Although the exact origin of this day is unknown, Roots Day has been around for over 40 years.

The United States of America has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. These settlers changed their names and adopted the local cuisine and customs, just like any other blue-blooded American. Such is the diversity, the nation has been referred to as a melting pot of cultural assimilation. But as multiculturalism becomes more and more mainstream, we will naturally have an interest in our past.

On this day, memories are shared and assembled to better understand our predecessors and their lives. Before these memories fade and details begin to blur, it is better to have them assembled and linked. The involvement of each generation in discovering the struggles and accomplishments of our families' lineages is encouraged. The stories of each generation whose efforts, successes and failures have helped shape us as individuals should be documented.