By Jamal James
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Hmong New Year celebrations came to a close on Sunday after two days of festivities at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus, which was a first for the community.
The Hmong New Year celebration marks the end of the harvest season.
This year also honors Hmong settlers coming to America after the Vietnam War 50 years ago.
“I was born and raised in Green Bay. So, seeing the growth of diversity. The culture. Just the expansion of Green Bay overall, I think it’s a beautiful thing,” says Danny Thao.
Holding the event at UWGB is not only the first for these four organizations, but it also helped them save up to $11,000 on the event costs.
That made the event free to the community, allowing as many people as possible to learn the culture through activities like sports, traditional dance, or playing a simple social game.
“It’s a courtship time where people can come together to have a ball tossing time. Where they’re tossing a ball and they can kind of get to know each other more,” says Kerry Yang, the president and co-founder of Hmong Autism Neurodiverse Disability Support.
Building connections like Danny Thao, one of more than 25 vendors offering cultural drinks and snacks to newcomers while supporting Hmong organizations.
“I want to do my best to help them out where I can. Get involved with the community. And really just connect with the youth and connect with my elders in a sense I never had to,” says Thao, who owns and operates Bambu.”
Thao hopes to continue connecting generations for years to come, and organizers hope to keep this event at UW-Green Bay for years to come.
Source: Hmong New Year celebration at UWGB connects Hmong generations and celebrates culture