Fresno Hmong New Year begins as residents deal with tragedy
Thousands of people from Hmong and other communities gathered Thursday to celebrate a new year in Fresno, washing away last year’s troubles, including a particularly violent night in November that left four dead.
Hmong New Year kicked off a day after Christmas in what is the largest cultural celebration of its kind in the country. A procession brought leaders like Minnesota state Sen. Foung Hawj and Fresno Mayor Lee Brand through a ceremonial walkway.
Hawj voiced a prayer for a better 2020 as the leaders shared a drink. “This is a wish for 2019 to move away (with) all the evil,” he said as a toast.
This year’s celebration comes about six weeks after four Hmong men were shot to death at a peaceful football watch party Nov. 17 in a southeast Fresno neighborhood. Attendees of this week’s celebration said they were undeterred and would be enjoying the festivities.
Pa Yang came with a group of vendors from Madison, Wisconsin, and said they aimed to please their customers. “There’s no reason to hide or be somebody you’re not,” she said. “That’s our thing. We enjoy why we’re here.”
She said potential visitors should “give it a shot” if they’ve never been to the event full of music, food and more.
Fresno leaders and several elected officials of Hmong descent joined elders and veterans to start the new year. Young men in traditional Hmong clothing covered in jangling coins played the flute-like instrument called a qeej and young women danced in colorful dresses on Thursday.
The seven days of events have now been under the Hmong Cultural New Year Celebration banner for three years. President Mitch Herr said much work goes into the festivities that have annually drawn 120,000 people, including visitors from across the country.
“We have over 200-plus volunteers,” he said. “Every year it takes 12 months to present this Fresno Hmong New Year.”
The tragedy
Mayor Brand said the city was shaken by November’s violence in a particularly dense Southeast Asian neighborhood. He praised the Hmong community, calling them his “brothers and sisters.”
“This event did not divide us. It did not serve any other purpose other than to unite us behind the Hmong community,” Brand said.
“There’s a couple needs in the Fresno Police Department we still need to address. No. 1, we need to hire more Hmong police officers,” he said on Thursday. “No. 2, we need to get a better mentoring program to promote more Hmong officers to sergeants and higher levels.”
Efforts by the Fresno City Council and other community groups helped raise more than $100,000 toward paying for funerals and other costs, Brand said.
Police have not made any arrests related to the November shooting and have not provided descriptions of what they say are at least two shooters. Six other people were injured that night but survived.
Members of the Hmong community have said they support the Fresno Police Department’s efforts.
Police Chief Andy Hall said this year’s police presence inside and around the Fresno Fairgrounds has been increased to provide a better sense of security. He addressed the families of the four slain men.
“Our hearts and our prayers are with you as we struggle to cope with this loss,” he said. “I want to tell you that the Fresno Police Department is committed to finding those responsible for this horrific crime, and we will not rest until justice is done.”
Food and fun
Fair-style food like hot dogs and fries are available but Hmong New Year brings many more options. There’s Hmong sausage (which comes with a spicy sauce), papaya salad (fresh vegetables in peppers and fish sauce), fried vegetables, sticky rice and many more grilled meats, to name a few.
There are daily athletics tournaments, as well as live music and beauty pageants. The main stage and many smaller booths feature amateur singers, too.
Hmong New Year
When: Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day through New Year’s Day
Where: Fresno Fairgrounds
Details: www.hmongcultural.org
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 3:52 PM.
