This year on November 17th, the Hmong began celebrating their New Years which lasts for many days. There are a lot of spiritual and cultural rituals that occur during this time. Some of my Hmong students helped me understand more about this celebration. Here is some information about it from the internet:"During the New Year's celebration, Hmong dress in traditional clothing and enjoy Hmong traditional foods, dance, music, bull fights, and other forms of entertainment. Historically, the Hmong New Year celebration was created to give thanks to ancestors and spirits as well as to welcome in a new beginning.
During the Hmong New Year celebration, the Hmong ball tossing game 'pov pob' is a common activity for adolescents. Boys and girls form two separate lines in pairs that are directly facing one another. Girls can ball toss with other girls or boys, but boys cannot ball toss with other boys. It is also taboo to toss the ball to someone of the same clan. When a boy and girl pair up together there is a traditional song that they sing to each other.
The Hmong New Year celebration—specifically based on both religious and cultural beliefs—is an “in-house” ritual that takes place annually in every Hmong household. The celebration is to acknowledge the completion of the rice-harvesting season—thus, the beginning of a new year—so that a new life can begin as the cycle of life continues. During this celebration, every "wandering" soul of every family member is called back to unite with the family again and the young will honor the old or the in-laws—a ritual of asking for blessings from elders of the house and clan as well as the in-laws of other clans. Also, during the Hmong New Year celebration, house spirits as well as the spirit of wealth (xim kaab) are honored. "
