November 18, 2014

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Minnesota State University, Mankato

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TUESDAY HIGH: 24 LOW: 8

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WEDNESDAY HIGH: 24 LOW: 12

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THURSDAY HIGH: 21 LOW: 3

Bridging the gap: understanding each other Hmong Culture Day comes again this November. YUSEONG JEON Staff Writer Hmong Culture Day event, titled “Breaching the Gap: Understanding Each Other,” organized by the Hmong Student Association, will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 22, Saturday at the Centennial Student Union Ballroom at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Hmong Culture Day is a day to welcome a new year by celebrating good things and throwing away all misfortunes that have happened throughout the year. “The Hmong Culture Day is our celebration of Hmong’s New

Year and promote our Hmong culture,” said Benjamin Thao, the president of the Hmong Student Association. Even though the Hmong Culture Day is for the celebration of a new year, it is celebrated around fall, when harvest is normally done. “We call the Hmong Culture Day in the fall in November a new year because winter is too cold to celebrate the actual New Year,” Thao said. The special cultural event is based on Hmong’s own unique culture including clothing, instruments and language. Hmong was created by the first immigrants from South East Asia as refugees from

mnsu.edu The board members of the Hmong Student Association; from left to right, Nina Xiong, Maly Xiong, PaDer Cha, Chengleng Xiong, Kaoshoua Thao, Benjamin Thao.

Web graphic A diagram of where people of the Hmong culture come from; the countries include Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China and Vietnam.

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South East Asian countries such as China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam immigrated to the United States to evade persecution during the Vietnam War. “They either went to Minnesota and Wisconsin or California. Minnesota is one of the biggest states where many Hmong population resides in. MSU has roughly 100 Hmong students,” Thao said. On the Hmong Culture Day, there will be performances such as singing, dancing, traditional music players, a skit and an auction along with authentic Hmong food. Around 25 Hmong students at MSU will do the performances. More importantly, popular Hmong singer-songwriter Cody Lee will come down to campus from the cities and sing original Hmong songs. “The Hmong Culture Day at Minnesota State University, Mankato has happened for over

30 years. In the past, the events were very successful. I expect the same thing this year,” Thao said. The doors at the Centennial Student Union Ballroom for the event will open at 3 p.m. and there will also be an after-party from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Hmong Culture Day event is open to the general public. The price of the ticket for the event is $5 for people who buy the ticket in advance, $6 for audiences with Hmong clothes and $7 for attendants who buy the ticket at the door of the Centennial Student Union Ballroom on the event day. The tickets for children under 4 years old and seniors over 65 years old are free. ID is required for the seniors. Hmong Student Association (HSA) exists for the purpose of to preserve the Hmong culture, recruit and unify students at MNSU.

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Including HSA, the Asia Pacific Student Organization (APSO), the Hmong Men’s Circle (HMC) and the Vietnamese American Student Association (VASA) are in the Asian America Affairs under the Multicultural center, which is one of subdivisions of the Institutional Diversity along with the Opportunity Access Success Intercultural Services (O.A.S.I.S), the LGBT Center and the Women’s Center. For more information, contact to the President of HSA Benjamin Thao at benjamin. thao@mnsu.edu or the Treasurer Maly Xiong at maly.xiong@ mnsu.edu.

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November 18, 2014 by MSU Reporter - Issuu