Delta College students gathered in the Quad on Nov. 21 for the campus’s first Hmong New Year celebration, organized by the EPIC learning community, which supports Asian American and Pacific Islander students and is open to all students interested in AAPI topics.
Students checked in at a welcome table, picked up stamp cards and visited booths that highlighted Hmong history, clan systems and cultural traditions.
Music also played across the Quad as lines formed for traditional food and afternoon performances.
Hmong New Year, known as Nyob Zoo Xyoo Tshiab, marks the end of the harvest season and is celebrated with dance, poetry and family gatherings.
The timing held special meaning. The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of Hmong resettlement in the United States, making Delta’s first Hmong New Year celebration a milestone within a milestone.
“Hmong New Year is a significant cultural and spiritual event for honoring ancestors and spirits,” said Brian Thao, a second-year biology major who served as MC for the event. “The festival continues, honoring the traditions through feasting, dancing, singing and games, providing a vital way for Hmong communities, especially those in the diaspora, to maintain cultural identity and pass down traditions.”
EPIC member Roan Wang said the celebration was especially meaningful for students reconnecting with their heritage.
“After our ancestors came to the United States, they kind of assimilated, so we lost a little bit of our language and culture,” Wang said. “I don’t really know much about my heritage unless parents decide you should learn about it.”
One of the key demonstrations was Pov Pob, the traditional Hmong ball-tossing game used for courtship.
Four students stood in pairs, wearing colorful outfits decorated with silver coins that jingled as they moved.
Each pair tossed a cloth ball back and forth while asking one another questions, reflecting a courtship ritual practiced between young people from different clans.
“Traditionally, ball tossing is a game for young individuals to find their first love,” Thao said. “This game is typically played between people from two different clans because there’s no dating within the same clan.”
Throughout the event, students performed traditional spoken poetry and Hmong dances, with performances concluding in a fashion show that displayed the elaborate textiles and craftsmanship of traditional Hmong clothing.
In addition, participants from the Little Hmong Sunshine pageant, a non-competitive pageant for young girls ages four through 10, were introduced onstage.
After the final performance around 1 p.m., students returned to information booths to finish collecting stamps before lining up for lunch.
First-year student Aleynah Raquepo said the celebration helped her learn about a culture she had never experienced before.
“I didn’t even know Hmong New Year was a thing,” Raquepo shared. “It’s always good to learn about other people’s cultures.”
The event drew students from across campus throughout the two-hour celebration, marking what organizers hope will become an annual tradition at Delta College.
