By Justine Chahal

On a gray November day in Sacramento, while most stayed indoors to avoid the cold, many flocked to Cal Expo with their families for the 50th annual Sacramento Hmong New Year Festival, a three-day event that began Friday, Nov. 28 and ended Sunday, Nov. 30. 

Inside the venue, people strolled across the grounds, dressed in colorful clothing with bells that jingled as they moved. The ring of the bells was  partially hidden beneath the sound of laughter, music and cheering. 

Organized by nonprofit Sacramento Hmong New Year, Inc. (SHNY), the festival was established in 2003 and typically attracts an estimated 40,000 attendants each year, according to their website.  

As of 2023, Sacramento’s Hmong population was estimated to be around over 30,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and in a study done by Pew Research Center in 2021, Sacramento ranked third out of 10 for the highest Hmong population found in a metropolitan area.

Rebecca Hawj, who has attended the festival for the past three years, said she enjoys coming and dressing in her cultural attire.

“I feel glad that there’s at least somebody who thought of the idea because there’s not that many people who celebrate Hmong New Year’s here,” Hawj said. “I’m just glad that there’s my people that understand me.”

The festival featured performances including a singing competition called “Hmong Idol” where musicians sang in front of an audience. 

There was also a lion dance performed by the Sacramento-based Teng Fei Lion Dance Team. The dance involves two team members acting as a single lion and performing as one unit, with one dancer acting as the head and the other as the lower half.

Aside from live performances, the event included a volleyball tournament that individuals could register to participate in and featured vendors selling a variety of wares and food.

One such vendor was Jolie Laos Silk, a family-owned business which sells traditional Laotian clothing. Sarah Yang, who operates the business with her aunt, said the event has grown much larger in scale now in comparison to when she was younger.

Yang said she enjoys interacting with people through selling clothing at the event.

“The big part of the Hmong New Year is really a chance for everybody from far and near to come and see each other,” Yang said. “It’s really what we look forward to. We always hope that when we meet others that we haven’t seen in a while that everybody is in good health.”

Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, who is running for Congress, was also present at the event with her own booth. Vang, the daughter of Hmong refugees, said she always looks forward to attending the event. She added that she hopes the Hmong community continues to center themselves and be with each other in the coming year.

“I truly believe that our existence is a form of resistance against this authoritarian administration, especially when our refugees, our Hmong families are being separated because of ICE and this authoritarian administration,” Vang said. ” Moments like this are really important for our communities to come together so that we can really celebrate community, celebrate what it means to be Hmong American [and] what it means to be American in this country. Events like this are really, really important, especially in these trying times.” 

This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Support stories like these here, and sign up for our monthly newsletter.