Reflections from the past – Youa Vang

At the end of fall into the beginning of winter, my family and I celebrate the Hmong New Year. It is a tradition that the Hmong people have honored since times of our ancestors. The celebration occurs around this time of because, according to what my mother told me, this is when they would bring in the harvest for the year and rest for the winter, as another year of working in the fields awaits. Back in the day, this celebration would last for weeks and consist of activities such as: blessing the family with good luck for the new year; paying respects to our ancestors; and a party/festival where the community would come and share their stories and participate in games, performances, and young women and men would court each other and find their partner for life. Today, because of limited vacation time, these celebrations still occur within the small Hmong communities across the US but at a much smaller scale.

As far back as I can remember, I know that we begin with a community blessing where we meet at a community leader’s house or big field and get blessed by a chicken to wash away the ‘dirt’ that we’ve collected throughout the year. In the case that one can’t make it to this event, a family member brings a clothing item that is regularly worn by that person to the ceremony to represent the missing person’s attendance. At this event, we walk around a circle three times and then turn around and walk around it three more times while passing through an arch created for this ceremony out of tree branches.

Within a couple of days after this ceremony, my father would send the ancestors a meal and money so that they too can enjoy a new year to come. It sounds like a silly idea and impossible to send ancestors these tangible things but what would happen is we boil chickens with a little lemon grass and ginger and we would set the table with many plate settings. Then we place bowls of the chicken and its broth on the table with some rice. The only person that then is sitting at the table would be my father and he would invite the spirits of the ancestors to come feast and celebrate the new year by taking a seat at the empty plate settings. During this ‘spiritual meal’ he would be saying a prayer type of chant to wish their spirits well. After he finishes, he then picks off some of the chicken meat and takes a spoon of rice and goes to the back yard and throws it away. My mother told me that that even though to us that may seem like nothing, it is enough to fill all the bellies of our ancestors and they spiritually sat at the table already. Then we would burn fake paper money so the ancestors too could enjoy a healthy and wealthy new year.

All this is done because it is said that healthy spirits of the ones that have been lost will keep the spirits of those of us who are still living strong. After sending these things to the ancestors, everyone in the family would then eat the chicken meal and each eat their own individual hard boil egg that was blessed during this ritual in order to take in this same healthy wealthy feeling for the new year. Now that I am married, the same things happen but I celebrate it with my husband’s family instead of my own. One day when my husband and I have our own children, then we would take on this responsibility within our own household. After this ritual is performed for the day, the entire family must not spend any money and should avoid traveling or leaving the home, except for work, to ensure that in the year to come, they can save money as well as keep safe.

The final thing that we do is attend a community party celebration type thing.  In cities like Minnesota, California, because the Hmong community there is larger, the celebration is much bigger and lasts for about two weeks with lots to see and do. Generally at the community celebration, we wear our best traditional Hmong outfits and go join in with the community to celebrate. We have a ball toss game that is played between young women and men and in the old days it was a tradition used to find one’s partner in life. Here in Missoula, we only hold the event for one day; there is a morning part and evening part. The morning is where we have the ball toss games and eat traditional cooking that is done by the wives and ladies of the Hmong community here.
Then in the evening, we have a party where everyone dress up in evening gowns and formal wear and a talent show made up of the youth in the community. I grew up performing these traditional dances for new years and now I’m teaching my own group of young ladies so that they can one day pass this piece of the Hmong culture and tradition on to the generation after them. Since the Hmong people do not have a country or anything to hold them together in this mixing world, the Hmong New Year Celebration and passing on traditions is one of the ways many believe will help preserve the dying culture.

Article Published in Missoulian Holiday Gift Guide 2008-09.