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In the dim light of the forests of Riethoven, there is a coming and going of cars on Friday evening. Once a parking spot has been found, the little ones jump enthusiastically from the back seat, while the adults walk towards the Polvo camp with bags, pillows and duvets under their arms. The Van Rhee family has been celebrating their Easter camp here for forty years. Nothing has changed in the building in all that time, but the number of people present has. It started modestly in 1986 with thirty people, but now the family consists of 211 people. 211!
It started somewhere at the beginning of the last century with a Brabant couple in love. Together they had fourteen children. The age difference was large: when the eldest daughter was pregnant, her mother also had a little one on the way.
And then the family really started to grow. There were 38 grandchildren, 67 great-grandchildren and now there are even 30 great-great-grandchildren. This year alone we added 5 babies. And a large part of this close-knit family has been celebrating Easter together during the reunion for 40 years.
“Eight o’clock is the moment when the cork can be removed from the bottle.”
122 crates of beer are ready, but the bottles are all still neatly in the refrigerator. “We ring the bell at exactly 8 o’clock in the evening and that is the moment when the cork can be removed from the bottle,” says 85-year-old Thea. “And well, we’ll continue until the wee hours.” She doesn’t even see her bed until around half past one. “But there are some who see the light coming again,” she laughs. “Then the little ones get out of bed at seven o’clock and they say: Dad, are you awake yet? No, Dad says, I’m going to sleep now.”
All those sisters, cousins, aunts, brothers, grandfathers and grandchildren, they lead their own lives. At the same time there is an extremely strong connection. “We have time here to share stories, laugh, chatter, relax and have fun,” says Rosan, Thea’s daughter. “Together around the campfire, fanatic about the pétanque, hilarious games and clapping your hands at the children’s playback show.”
But we also all enjoy tomato soup, made by our grandmothers. Friday evening there are already two gigantic soup pots simmering on the fire. Then everyone gets fries and snacks from the chip shop that has been hired for the occasion. “It can easily handle thirty kilos of fries,” says the chip maker who is frantically trying to keep up with orders.
The kitchen team will cook for the rest of the weekend. Joep is in charge, he once had a catering company and is happy to prepare a meal for 80 hungry family members. “Sometimes we make pasta, other times stew. A nice salad with a few boxes of tomatoes and a mountain of cucumbers. I have no idea what it will be tomorrow,” he laughs. “We’re going to brainstorm about that over coffee.”
Joep is a ‘supporter’ and comes from a relatively small family himself. “When I heard from my girlfriend how huge her hair was roots I was completely overwhelmed. It’s so fantastic, this Easter camp. I wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“There’s a lot of snoring, and farting too.”
The group sleeps in three dormitories, all in bunk beds. “Everything is neat now, but tomorrow morning it will be an exploded mess,” says Wilma, the oldest at 88. “There’s a lot of snoring and farting too, but hey, we’re family, right? And when the dormitory door is opened in the morning, everyone thinks: hey, nice, fresh air!”
Saturday evening is the playback show for adults. “We pull out all the stops, with a stage, music system and party lighting,” says Koen. “A Dirty Dancing act where we smear each other with mayonnaise, joppie sauce and flour. Or we belly slide on the tables with oil. Our friends and acquaintances are also welcome, and then we have an extra 150 people.”
Easter Sunday traditionally starts with a festive breakfast. Some jokers have secretly exchanged the vanilla custard for mayonnaise. Then it’s time to look for eggs in the forest. The newcomers, who joined the Van Rhee clan through love, put on an Easter bunny costume. In the afternoon there will be a six-way event, in which the entire crowd will enthusiastically brave the obstacle course.
“It is so special what we have,” Koen and Rosan conclude. “That feeling of being together, making good memories. We look forward to it all year long. This should never disappear.”
