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Published in The Spectator, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire;
Thursday, November 8, 2001
Cultural celebration planned
Hmong New Year one of most important events of year
By Bill Olson
It is a time for Hmong people to come together, to thank ancestral
spirits and even pursue courtship.
See Vang, executive director of the Eau Claire Area Hmong Mutual
Assistance Association, said the Hmong New Year was traditionally a time
to celebrate the completion of the harvest.
Though some of its purposes in American society have changed, it remains
one of the most important celebrations in Hmong society, said Vang.
All students and community members are invited. Scheduled events include
folk songs, traditional dance performances, crafts, food vendors and
traditional Hmong ball tossing, he said.
The ball tossing was originally part of a courtship ritual, Vang said.
Older boys and girls threw a soft black ball back and forth to the
person they planned to married. In some cases, a player who dropped the
ball had to sing a traditional Hmong song or give a gift to their
partner, according to the www.laofamily.org/culture/hmongculture2.htm
Web site.
New Year's celebrations were important for courtship and family reunions
in Laos because mountains and rural distances often separated people who
lacked modern communication and transportation, Vang said. The
celebration traditionally lasted up to 15 days so that people had time
to travel to it.
"Year around, that was the only time the youngsters could get
together to do courtship, dating, talking and tossing the ball," he
said.
Since Hmong youth in the United States have greater opportunities to
meet, the ball tossing this weekend will be more for preserving the
tradition than for actual courtship, Vang said.
Wisconsin weather also affects the celebration. In Laos, New Year
celebrations are held outside, he said.
But because Wisconsin is colder, they are held indoors here.
Tickets for the dance are available through the Hmong Mutual Assistance
Association and at the door.
For more information, contact the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association at
832-8420.
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