Recently, I have noticed an increase in the number of Hmong magazines, and Asian publications, in general. Where once there was one or two magazines at the specialty Asian stores or Hmong cultural events, today the options seem to grow exponentially. Noticeably, a lot of them look like replicas of existing mainstream magazines. The influence of Western culture seems so pervasive that the only obvious difference is that all the models posing in the latest fashions on the glossy pages of these magazines are of Asian descent.
“When I wear Hmong, I tell myself that, we should remember our belief, cultures, values, so that people know who we are and where we came from.”
“New Breed is Yeng Vang, lead vocalist and guitarist, Xai Vang, on keyboards, and Houa Vang on bass and vocals. We are a Hmong Rock/Alternative/Pop band from Oroville, California and we have been making music for about six years and currently have 3 albums out, including our newest release Los Txog Hnub No.
We wrote a special song titled “Suab Ntsuag Tsov Rog” to remember our struggling Hmong people in the jungles of Laos. Although their voice couldn’t be heard, we’d like to think that the song we wrote was their voice. In that aspect, a lot of people were able to relate to our lyrics.”
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Admission prices? Loud music blaring from all directions? Food? Organization? Multiple New Years celebrations? What’s your pet peeve about Hmong New Year? If you had a chance to change something about the event, what would it be? The Hmong New Year is celebrated at different times of the year throughout the world. In some cases, we believe it’s unfortunate because it creates a disconnect between people, but at the same time, we feel that it was inevitable, since Hmong have dispersed around the world and, over the years, have adapted traditional practices in different ways. It’s hard to find a designated date to celebrate the New Year; it’s even harder to get thousands of people together in one location. 18XEEM did an online survey to get a better understanding of how people felt towards the Hmong New Year festivals.
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“Four years ago, I had the chance to participate in the first ever Mr. Hmong Southeast Puavpheej Inc. 2004-2005 Pageant in North Carolina. I entered the pageant as a way to challenge myself and to have fun. We practiced for two months straight on walking, dancing, and speaking. It took a lot of time and effort, but it was well worth it in the end. ”
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