The Hmong New Year festival held it’s 14th annual celebration at the Fresno Fair Grounds, Dec. 31- Jan. 1. This event draws Hmong residents from around the world to inquire and showcase their culture.
Many non-Hmong attend the festival with their Hmong friends to learn something about the culture. The festival travels throughout America, and takes place in towns with large Hmong populations. Fresno holds the festival because of it’s high population of the Hmong people.
The festival features many market stalls and events, such as food stands, trinkets, games, concerts and performances.
Everyday the festival has an ongoing event known as “pov pob”. In this event boys and girls pass tennis balls to each other. While passing the ball back and forth, the couple will have conversations to get to know each other better.
Each year there is a Miss Hmong competition, held at the festival. Like the Miss America Beauty Pageant, the contestants are judged by their appearance and talent.
When entering the market, customers will experience a bombardment of Hmong videos and music playing. Throughout the day Hmong musicians play on a set platform for the market. The benches, which are always crowded from fans, is a nice place to relax and enjoy some cultural music.
Other than the events taken place at the festival, stalls are set throughout the festival selling jewelry and traditional clothing. Food vendors offer foods like “nyob vaj” (a sweet dessert), papaya salad, “Kow poon” (an orange soup), purple rice and other small snacks like fried bananas and churros.
Growing up in America, the Hmong New Year festival has been a strong link to the Hmong culture. Attending schools with no other Hmong children, I only learned about my culture from my family.
Going there every year I learn more about my culture. Whenever we enter a stand my parents would tell me what some trinkets do, and my dad would show me how to play a musical instrument.
Occasionally I meet a relative around my age at the festival, and our parents send us off to look around the festival. While with my relative, we get reacquainted and explore the many vendors that are set up.
Although my parents attend many of the days the festival is held, I only go one or two times a year. I dislike being bombarded by loud music while in the marketplace of the festival.
I learned to appreciate the Hmong culture through the experiences I had at the Hmong New Year festival. The festival has developed into a cultural phenomenon as it brings together the Hmong people.
For past coverage of the event, read the Jan. 13, 2011 column, Hmong New Year celebrates culture.
For more opinions, read the Dec. 18 article Korean exchange student compares Christmas with home.
