The Hmong Stout Student Organization will host its 12th annual Hmong New Year celebration Saturday, Dec. 7, at University of Wisconsin-Stout.
The 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. event will be in the Multipurpose Room of the university’s Sports and Fitness Center, 220 13th Ave., Menomonie. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Admission is $5 for the public. It is free for children 4 and younger as well as for seniors and UW-Stout students and staff.
“Our Hmong New Year is a celebration of our Hmong culture,” said HSSO President Joshua Yang, a junior majoring in video production from Schofield. “We welcome the coming new year as well as honor our ancestors and spirits from our culture.
“To help celebrate, we have singers who will perform Hmong songs traditional and modern, and we will have dance groups that will be performing traditional Hmong dances. We will also be having a fashion show that showcases our various types of Hmong clothing. Finally, we will also have our traditional ball toss game, ‘Pov Pob,’ which was played for courtship or just for fun in our history,” Yang said.
Special singers include Kevin Vang, Minneapolis; Mindy Yang, La Crosse; Pa Hua Vang, Eau Claire; Lou Shi Pheng Her, Eau Claire; and Douachi Yang, St. Paul. Dancers include Nkauj Kog Nag, La Crosse; Noog Yaj Yuam, St. Paul; Soul of Phoenix, Menomonie; Nkauj Huab Ci, Stevens Point; and Niam Leej Ntxhais, Wausau.
“In our history, the Hmong New Year was also used to see family members and loved ones from different regions of Laos,” Yang said. “We encourage folks to come to our event to meet new people or get a little taste of our culture.”
Visitors also can see an open volleyball tournament with more than a dozen teams.
For more information email the Hmong Stout Student Organization at hsso@uwstout.edu or visit the Facebook site here.
