Big family, big reunion: 300 descendants gather for Hari Raya

 

The reunion brought together the growing family, which has now entered its fourth generation. NSTP/ZAID SALIM

KUALA TERENGGANU: Nearly 300 family members spanning four generations of the late Wan Endut Wan Abd Rahman gathered for a heartwarming reunion yesterday.

The patriarch's sixth child, Datuk Wan Anuar Wan Endut, 64, said the gathering had been planned for several years but was delayed by time and distance.

He said the reunion was crucial to bring together the growing family, which has now entered its fourth generation.

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"Every year the family grows. While we are still here, my siblings and I worked to gather this large family so the younger generation can get to know one another and ensure ties are not broken.

"Although it was difficult to gather everyone, we spent nearly two months on preparations because we believed that without this reunion, the new generation might not know their relatives," he said at the Majlis Tautan Kasih Keluarga Allahyarham Wan Endut 2026.

Wan Anuar said he hopes such reunions would continue to ensure the family's relationship remains intact.

His late father was a cloth and gold merchant from Kampung Losong Ebeng who had 17 children from three marriages. Nine of the children have since died.

Wan Endut's grandson, Wan Shamsuddin Wan Abdullah, 58, said the family had drifted apart after their grandfather's passing.

"When we gather like this, only then do we recognise our cousins, nephews, and grand-nephews. It is very exciting.

"If we did not hold this gathering, it would be difficult to meet as everyone has their own families, like birds flying their own way. We are grateful to our uncles and aunts for organising this and hope it is not the last," he said.

Great-grandson Wan Ilman Hisham Wan Sallehuddin, 28, expressed joy at the opportunity to meet relatives he rarely saw.

"As a great-grandchild, I rarely meet the first, second, and third generations. Such events allow us to know one another better," he said.

He added that while they previously met occasionally during Hari Raya, not everyone could attend due to various commitments. - NST