The ending of a year and the possibilities that lie ahead will be celebrated through traditional Hmong music, dances, food and games at Long Beach’s Hmong New Year Festival.
This two-day festival hosted by the Hmong Association of Long Beach honors the Hmong mountain villages in Laos, Southeast Asia. The association was created in 1981 by Yang Cha, shortly after thousands of people from Southeast Asian countries immigrated to Southern California in the 1970s.
The festival celebrates “all the good things of the past year as well as hopes for all good things in the year to come,” said Hmong Association President Wang Xiong in a public statement.
The Hmong New Year takes place on Nov. 25 and 26, but the festival will be held on Dec. 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and free to residents of all ages.
Residents will gather and celebrate at the Golden Grove Section of El Dorado Park with traditional flute performances, various dance groups, multiple Hmong games, crafts and cultural food. Each year, the association chooses an elder to honor for their contributions to the Hmong community by inviting them to “cut the ribbon to open the gate into the new year.”
This year’s honoree is Bonnie Lowenthal, whom the association recognizes for her longtime advocacy for immigrants, refugees, homeless residents, those who need mental health services and other social issues.
Lowenthal has been a supporter of Hmong arts and culture for over 20 years, has served on the Long Beach Unified School District board, the Long Beach City Council and the California Assembly. She is now the vice president of the Harbor Commissioners of the Port of Long Beach.
Following the opening ceremonies, residents can enjoy a variety of performances. The students from “Qeej Not Gangs” will be playing the qeej, a six-reed flute that is an “essential” instrument in the Hmong culture.
Students can learn to play the qeej through the Cultural Preservation Program at Homeland at McArthur Park, which has been teaching students traditional arts since 1998.
The notes [of the qeej] abstractly represent words that tell stories, most importantly at funerals to tell the story of a deceased person so she or he has a path back to the ancestors,” Xiong said in a statement.
Children will put on a fashion show of Hmong traditional clothes from various regions of Laos, with intricate embroidery and tinkling silver coins. Three levels of dance groups made up of young women and children who have performed throughout the state will take the stage, as well as a drumming group led by Master Cha Kay.
The festival will feature traditional food such as green papaya salad, Hmong barbecue meats, purple rice and coconut drinks. Residents can also enjoy works from the Lee sisters, master embroidery artists who will showcase clothing, pillowcases, wall art, animals and more.
Traditional games will be played such as Hmong top spinning, where competitors toss and spin 5-inch carved tops and aim to knock out their opponents. Another New Year ritual is the courting ball toss, where couples stand in rows and throw balls to each other while traditional music plays.
Attendees who wear Hmong traditional clothing will be entered to win a prize: a newly published book on Hmong history by Gayle Morrison titled “Deep Tears: Post War Resistance in Laos (1975-1880).”
The Hmong New Year Festival will take place on Dec. 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Golden Grove Section of El Dorado Park (7550 E Spring St.). Entry to the festival is free, and parking costs $8.
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