St. Paul Hmong New Year celebration preserves Hmong culture for the future
Mai Lee Thao (center) takes a photo of Kia Vang (left) and Mai Vang at the St. Paul RiverCentre during the Hmong New Year celebration.
Yi-Chin Lee | MPR News file photo
Minnesota’s vibrant Hmong community is gearing up for one of the biggest celebrations of the year, Hmong New Year.
Thousands will gather for the two-day celebration this weekend at the St. Paul RiverCentre. This weekend will mark the 43rd year of the event in St. Paul.
Khou Yang works for the United Hmong Family Organization which helps put on the New Year festivities each year. She joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about this year’s festivities.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
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Audio transcript
INTERVIEWER: Minnesota's vibrant Hmong community is gearing up for one of the biggest celebrations of the year, the Hmong New Year. Thousands will be gathering for the two-day celebration this weekend at the Saint Paul RiverCenter.
That's taken place for the past 43 years. Joining us right now is Khou Yang, who works with the United Hmong Family organization which helps put on the New Year festivities every year. Khou Yang, welcome.
KHOU YANG: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Well, thanks for being here. Tell us a little bit more about Hmong New Year, it always sounds like such a huge and fun event.
KHOU YANG: It is. The Hmong New Year is one of the biggest events we have for the Hmong community, specifically for Minnesota, we have people who are coming all over the nation to join us for this upcoming weekend. So we're very excited. It's a time for celebrating with family and friends, and turning in the old into the new. So it's very exciting.
INTERVIEWER: Tell us a little bit about the history of Hmong New Year.
KHOU YANG: Historically the Hmong New Year is held at the end of the harvest season. I think that's the only time people really have time to celebrate because they're working all year long on their harvest, and so it's a great opportunity to cook with the produce that they have and invite their family and friends to come and join them.
And so really, that's how it started, is a way to celebrate the ending of the season and preparing for the new season. And now we've kept the tradition going, and it's not so much the end of the harvest anymore, but it's a opportunity for people to gather and continue to hold on to that culture.
INTERVIEWER: I'm glad you mentioned food. I understand that there are some ethnic foods at the celebration that you really can't find anywhere else.
KHOU YANG: Yes. So food is always so important in the Hmong community. When you come to the Hmong New Year, you can expect to find sticky rice, papaya salad, Hmong sausages, just anything of that sort. And it's wonderful food, comfort food, I will say, for a lot of the community members.
INTERVIEWER: Now are you going to do ball-tossing? And for folks who don't know what that is, can you explain?
KHOU YANG: Yes. So ball-tossing is really tossing a ball back and forth. Ideally, it is a form of courtship. That was actually how I met my husband. He came and courted me with like game of ball-toss. And it's a great way for young individuals to see who potential partners could be.
And so it's really fun. Unfortunately I'm no longer able to ball-toss because I'm married now, but it's really for the single individuals to get to one another and see if there's an interest to hit it off.
INTERVIEWER: Well, obviously it worked. It worked for you?
KHOU YANG: It did.
INTERVIEWER: See, as you know, sometimes there's worry in refugee communities about identity loss, sometimes you know?
KHOU YANG: Mm-hmm.
INTERVIEWER: How does the Hmong New Year work to preserve Hmong culture?
KHOU YANG: Yes. With the assimilation into the American culture, I think it's a lot harder for children, young children especially, to recognize where they come from. And with the Hmong culture, you see the vibrant clothing, you see the language, the music, the food, and so it's a constant reminder that this is who I am, this is my community, this is where I belong.
So that's one of the reasons why we keep the Hmong New Year alive, is because it's such a great reminder, and it holds our culture and our heritage. And it teaches the younger generation who they really are.
INTERVIEWER: What do elders think about this? I bet they must be pretty happy?
KHOU YANG: They are. Our elders love the Hmong New Year. And we have a lot of elders on our board who we turn to as advisors to give us suggestions on how we should proceed. There's a lot of cultural aspect to the Hmong New Year that even my generation we're not very familiar with. And so our elders play a big part in helping us plan the Hmong New Year to make sure we execute it perfectly.
INTERVIEWER: What about the music? You mentioned music, and dance, specifically. I love the costumes you wear. You're right, the costumes are stunning, they're just gorgeous. Can you explain maybe what some folks might be seeing on stage if they were to attend?
KHOU YANG: Yes. So this year we have three competitions. We have a pageant competition, which is a competition between contestants for the title of the Miss Hmong Minnesota. We have a dance competition, and this year it's fairly competitive. So we have 36 teams who will be competing, and that's the most we've had in a few years.
And then we have our singing competition for local artists who want to win the big stage. And so it's really exciting. The dance competition draws in a lot of attendees and attention, because you see people, you have these girls of various age competing in different dance forms, and so it's very beautiful to see them continue to hold that culture.
INTERVIEWER: You mentioned the pageant, were you a contestant at all?
KHOU YANG: I was, yes.
INTERVIEWER: You were.
KHOU YANG: Quite a few years ago.
INTERVIEWER: Are you a mentor to the contestants?
KHOU YANG: I am, yes. So I competed in 2017, and I received first runner up. Since then I've continued to assist in either a leadership role, or a coordinator, role with the pageant contestants.
INTERVIEWER: And that's a pretty important part of the festival?
KHOU YANG: It is because historically the pageant was held as a way of finding potential brides for individuals. And it also goes to showcase the intelligence, and the confidence, and the capability of a young woman back then. And so, right now it's transitioned to develop the individual in their confidence, stage presence, and a lot of professional development.
So we've changed that around to be more centered around women empowerment. But we continue to hold the pageant because it's such a great platform for our young Hmong women to continue to help out in the local community, and be able to achieve any goals that they have for themselves and what they would like to do for the community.
INTERVIEWER: We were talking about the traditions that you showcase at the festival, as you weigh those and pay respect to those, are you also thinking about how to move this into the future?
How do you balance both-- a younger generation that's like, "OK, is there anything that I can do here with technology versus the old ways?" How do you balance both of those two things?
KHOU YANG: Yeah, that's a great question. And it's been pretty hard for us over the years in trying to keep the younger generation interested in the Hmong New Year because there are so many things happening right around that same time.
So what we've done is really trying to engage the younger generation by either having a digital version of it, so streaming it online. If people cannot come in person, they can still stream it. Making it available-- making sure that tickets are available at a earlier time so people don't have to wait in line the day of.
So we're really trying different avenues, and really trying to engage the younger generation in trying to get them to come to the New Year. So it's a constant struggle, but I think we still get attendance every year because so many hold on to the Hmong tradition and understand the importance of the Hmong New Year.
INTERVIEWER: OK, so tell me, your favorite thing to do or eat at the Hmong New Year is?
KHOU YANG: Ooh, papaya salad.
INTERVIEWER: See, there's always one thing, isn't there? Papaya salad.
KHOU YANG: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: OK, that's the first thing you go for?
KHOU YANG: Yes, always.
INTERVIEWER: I hope you have a wonderful celebration. When and how can people attend this weekend?
KHOU YANG: Yes, so the Hmong New Year is held this year right after Thanksgiving. It would be Saturday, November 25, and Sunday in November 26. They can purchase tickets at the Xcel Energy Box Office throughout, from now until the event. So we look forward to seeing everyone there.
INTERVIEWER: All right, happy New Year by the way Khou. Thank you.
KHOU YANG: Thank you so much.
INTERVIEWER: Khou Yang is with the United Hmong Family Organization, which organizes the Hmong New Year celebration this weekend at Saint Paul RiverCenter.
That's taken place for the past 43 years. Joining us right now is Khou Yang, who works with the United Hmong Family organization which helps put on the New Year festivities every year. Khou Yang, welcome.
KHOU YANG: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
INTERVIEWER: Well, thanks for being here. Tell us a little bit more about Hmong New Year, it always sounds like such a huge and fun event.
KHOU YANG: It is. The Hmong New Year is one of the biggest events we have for the Hmong community, specifically for Minnesota, we have people who are coming all over the nation to join us for this upcoming weekend. So we're very excited. It's a time for celebrating with family and friends, and turning in the old into the new. So it's very exciting.
INTERVIEWER: Tell us a little bit about the history of Hmong New Year.
KHOU YANG: Historically the Hmong New Year is held at the end of the harvest season. I think that's the only time people really have time to celebrate because they're working all year long on their harvest, and so it's a great opportunity to cook with the produce that they have and invite their family and friends to come and join them.
And so really, that's how it started, is a way to celebrate the ending of the season and preparing for the new season. And now we've kept the tradition going, and it's not so much the end of the harvest anymore, but it's a opportunity for people to gather and continue to hold on to that culture.
INTERVIEWER: I'm glad you mentioned food. I understand that there are some ethnic foods at the celebration that you really can't find anywhere else.
KHOU YANG: Yes. So food is always so important in the Hmong community. When you come to the Hmong New Year, you can expect to find sticky rice, papaya salad, Hmong sausages, just anything of that sort. And it's wonderful food, comfort food, I will say, for a lot of the community members.
INTERVIEWER: Now are you going to do ball-tossing? And for folks who don't know what that is, can you explain?
KHOU YANG: Yes. So ball-tossing is really tossing a ball back and forth. Ideally, it is a form of courtship. That was actually how I met my husband. He came and courted me with like game of ball-toss. And it's a great way for young individuals to see who potential partners could be.
And so it's really fun. Unfortunately I'm no longer able to ball-toss because I'm married now, but it's really for the single individuals to get to one another and see if there's an interest to hit it off.
INTERVIEWER: Well, obviously it worked. It worked for you?
KHOU YANG: It did.
INTERVIEWER: See, as you know, sometimes there's worry in refugee communities about identity loss, sometimes you know?
KHOU YANG: Mm-hmm.
INTERVIEWER: How does the Hmong New Year work to preserve Hmong culture?
KHOU YANG: Yes. With the assimilation into the American culture, I think it's a lot harder for children, young children especially, to recognize where they come from. And with the Hmong culture, you see the vibrant clothing, you see the language, the music, the food, and so it's a constant reminder that this is who I am, this is my community, this is where I belong.
So that's one of the reasons why we keep the Hmong New Year alive, is because it's such a great reminder, and it holds our culture and our heritage. And it teaches the younger generation who they really are.
INTERVIEWER: What do elders think about this? I bet they must be pretty happy?
KHOU YANG: They are. Our elders love the Hmong New Year. And we have a lot of elders on our board who we turn to as advisors to give us suggestions on how we should proceed. There's a lot of cultural aspect to the Hmong New Year that even my generation we're not very familiar with. And so our elders play a big part in helping us plan the Hmong New Year to make sure we execute it perfectly.
INTERVIEWER: What about the music? You mentioned music, and dance, specifically. I love the costumes you wear. You're right, the costumes are stunning, they're just gorgeous. Can you explain maybe what some folks might be seeing on stage if they were to attend?
KHOU YANG: Yes. So this year we have three competitions. We have a pageant competition, which is a competition between contestants for the title of the Miss Hmong Minnesota. We have a dance competition, and this year it's fairly competitive. So we have 36 teams who will be competing, and that's the most we've had in a few years.
And then we have our singing competition for local artists who want to win the big stage. And so it's really exciting. The dance competition draws in a lot of attendees and attention, because you see people, you have these girls of various age competing in different dance forms, and so it's very beautiful to see them continue to hold that culture.
INTERVIEWER: You mentioned the pageant, were you a contestant at all?
KHOU YANG: I was, yes.
INTERVIEWER: You were.
KHOU YANG: Quite a few years ago.
INTERVIEWER: Are you a mentor to the contestants?
KHOU YANG: I am, yes. So I competed in 2017, and I received first runner up. Since then I've continued to assist in either a leadership role, or a coordinator, role with the pageant contestants.
INTERVIEWER: And that's a pretty important part of the festival?
KHOU YANG: It is because historically the pageant was held as a way of finding potential brides for individuals. And it also goes to showcase the intelligence, and the confidence, and the capability of a young woman back then. And so, right now it's transitioned to develop the individual in their confidence, stage presence, and a lot of professional development.
So we've changed that around to be more centered around women empowerment. But we continue to hold the pageant because it's such a great platform for our young Hmong women to continue to help out in the local community, and be able to achieve any goals that they have for themselves and what they would like to do for the community.
INTERVIEWER: We were talking about the traditions that you showcase at the festival, as you weigh those and pay respect to those, are you also thinking about how to move this into the future?
How do you balance both-- a younger generation that's like, "OK, is there anything that I can do here with technology versus the old ways?" How do you balance both of those two things?
KHOU YANG: Yeah, that's a great question. And it's been pretty hard for us over the years in trying to keep the younger generation interested in the Hmong New Year because there are so many things happening right around that same time.
So what we've done is really trying to engage the younger generation by either having a digital version of it, so streaming it online. If people cannot come in person, they can still stream it. Making it available-- making sure that tickets are available at a earlier time so people don't have to wait in line the day of.
So we're really trying different avenues, and really trying to engage the younger generation in trying to get them to come to the New Year. So it's a constant struggle, but I think we still get attendance every year because so many hold on to the Hmong tradition and understand the importance of the Hmong New Year.
INTERVIEWER: OK, so tell me, your favorite thing to do or eat at the Hmong New Year is?
KHOU YANG: Ooh, papaya salad.
INTERVIEWER: See, there's always one thing, isn't there? Papaya salad.
KHOU YANG: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: OK, that's the first thing you go for?
KHOU YANG: Yes, always.
INTERVIEWER: I hope you have a wonderful celebration. When and how can people attend this weekend?
KHOU YANG: Yes, so the Hmong New Year is held this year right after Thanksgiving. It would be Saturday, November 25, and Sunday in November 26. They can purchase tickets at the Xcel Energy Box Office throughout, from now until the event. So we look forward to seeing everyone there.
INTERVIEWER: All right, happy New Year by the way Khou. Thank you.
KHOU YANG: Thank you so much.
INTERVIEWER: Khou Yang is with the United Hmong Family Organization, which organizes the Hmong New Year celebration this weekend at Saint Paul RiverCenter.
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