Minnesota’s Hmong New Year returns to St. Paul’s RiverCentre this weekend, spotlighting the vibrant arts and culture of the local Hmong community. The event, hosted by the nonprofit United Hmong Family Inc. in collaboration with RiverCentre, draws thousands of people every year. It will showcase singing and dance competitions, pageant and fashion shows, open mics, and food vendors.
St. Paul’s celebration, traditionally held the weekend after Thanksgiving, is rooted in Laos’ agricultural cycle and traditions, said Karl Vang, a board member of the United Hmong Family.
“Back in Laos, you started cultivating very early on in the spring and then you’re harvesting it all in the late fall,” he said. “We decided that it was time for us to go out and celebrate. We spent the entire year testing our crops, and now we relax with our family and enjoy the fruit of what we labored.”
St. Paul’s celebration began in 1980, as a steady stream of Hmong immigrants, primarily from Laos, arrived in Minnesota. At the time, Minnesota’s Hmong population was about 2,000, according to a 1984 University of Minnesota Hmong resettlement study. Today, the state is home to more than 94,000 Hmong people.
The board of United Hmong Family Inc., now made up of second- and third-generation Hmong Americans, continues to work to preserve and promote “cultural identity and heritage within the Hmong community,” Vang said.
This year’s festivities marks the 43rd anniversary of St. Paul’s event. They include the 37th annual pageant featuring young Hmong women vying for the title of Miss Minnesota. Contestants undergo rigorous training, learning traditional customs and attire and showcasing their leadership and community engagement skills.
“The pageant is probably the highlight of the New Year celebration,” Vang said. “It is really about these young women that are trying to become leaders of tomorrow.”
This year’s dance competition will feature 35 groups and a panel of judges. “It’s an opportunity for these kids who have been practicing for a year or more to come out and be the top dance studio or dance group,” Vang said.
The dances range from traditional folk to contemporary hip-hop, pop, and R&B styles.
Also popular are a singing competition and open mic period, as well as a fashion show featuring different styles of traditional Hmong clothing from Laos and China.
Seven food vendors will offer an array of food, including sausages, chicken wings, papaya salad, tapioca desserts, and mochi.
How to attend the Minnesota Hmong New Year
Date: Saturday and Sunday, November 25-26
Time: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: RiverCentre, 175 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Cost: $12 cash at the door or pre-sale at Xcel Energy Center box office from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, $12.45 at the door with credit card or via Ticketmaster. Free for people over 65 and children under 42 inches.
For more information: Visit https://www.theunitedhmongfamily.org/.
