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Hmong New Year celebration also marks 50 years in America
Music, food and laughter filled the air at St. Paul's RiverCentre over the weekend. Thousands gathered for the 45th annual Minnesota Hmong New Year celebration, and to honor a major community milestone. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Music, food and laughter filled the air at St. Paul's RiverCentre over the weekend.
Thousands gathered for the 45th annual Minnesota Hmong New Year celebration, and to honor a major community milestone.
Celebrating history and culture
The backstory:
This year marks 50 years since Hmong people came to the United States.
The Twin Cities metro is home to the largest Hmong community in the U.S. Many Hmong people arrived as refugees from Southeast Asia fleeing the Vietnam War.
What they're saying:
Thousands gathered at St. Paul’s RiverCentre over the weekend.
United Hmong Family (UHF) said they organized the event to showcase their vibrant heritage.
"At the Hmong New Year celebration, ball toss game is an integral piece of the cultural aspect. It’s a courting game. You go chat with each other, toss a ball, get to know each other," said See Lor, UHF treasurer. "If you drop the ball, you exchange items. And that’s an opportunity to maybe reconnect later."
"Competitions that’s including the pageant, sing competition and dance as well," said Douchi Vue, singing coordinator with UHF. "For me, personally, it’s a lot of volunteer hours, but it’s great to see everything come together at the end of the day. We have a small committee and board team, but we are very passionate about bringing the community together."