When Mee Vang, president of The United Hmong Family Inc., asked executive director Khou Yang if anyone had ever actually found love through the Hmong New Year ball-tossing game, Yang’s response surprised her. 

“She was like, ‘I did,” Vang said with a laugh. “She actually met her husband ball tossing.”

The traditional courtship game, where young men and women face each other in two lines and toss a ball back and forth, has long been a symbol of connection during Hmong New Year. If a player drops the ball, they must give their partner an item they’re wearing, often leading to follow-up meetings to retrieve it. “It’s a way of being able to court openly, because our elders were really shy,” Vang said.

This year’s Minnesota Hmong New Year celebration, held at St. Paul’s RiverCentre, marks 49 years since the first Hmong refugees arrived in the United States after the Secret War in Laos in 1975. With more than 94,000 Hmong residents, Minnesota is home to one of the largest Hmong communities in the country. 

The event will feature singing, dance and pageantry competitions, along with cherished traditions like ball tossing and the ceremonial white-ribbon cutting.

Traditionally known as Noj Peb Caug, which translates to “eat 30,” Hmong New Year marks the end of the rice and maize harvest season. Traditionally, it’s a time for families to gather after a year of working in the fields, sharing a 30-day feast before joining community festivities.

The celebration is split into two parts: the in-house ritual and the public celebration.

At home, a shaman or head of the household performs soul-calling ceremonies, summoning family members to return home and invoking the protection of good spirits. Families make food offerings to their ancestors, setting dining tables with traditional dishes and holding feasts for guests.

 “Our elders are very proud that we continue to maintain this,” Vang said. “It’s not only a way to remember shamanism but a way to honor our ancestors.”

Following the shaman rituals, families will gather at RiverCentre this weekend to celebrate with the community.

Saturday’s grand opening ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a symbolic sweeping away of the old year’s misfortunes, followed by a ribbon-cutting led by Minnesota state senators Foung Hawj and Erin P. Murphy. “We sweep out the old year — all the bad luck, tears and sorrow — and welcome new beginnings,” Vang said. 

The two-day festivities will highlight the evolution of Hmong music, from traditional folk songs played on instruments like the qeej, drums and gongs, to the contemporary sounds of Hmong R&B and hip-hop. Featured acts include Hmong band Kab Nquos Vas, Song Vang of Phooj Ywg, and Pang Foua Tchi Ly, a singer from France whose grandfather, Lee Lou, was one of the few Hmong pilots during the Secret War.

The event celebrates Hmong culture through competitions like the annual Miss Hmong Minnesota Pageant, singing contests and dance showcases. This year, 49 dance troupes — up from 36 last year — will take the stage, with a new category for children aged 9 and younger. 

Eight food vendors will offer traditional dishes such as papaya salad, Hmong sausage, sticky rice, egg rolls, BBQ pork belly and tapioca desserts. 

“This is an opportunity for younger generations to really embrace their identity and be proud of being Hmong,” Vang said. “We always say we only get once a year to wear our Hmong clothes, and we do it with pride.”

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