Carleton College will host a celebration of the Hmong New Year in the Severance Great Hall on Saturday, Nov. 3, featuring performances of traditional and contemporary Hmong song and dance. The celebration will be hosted by the Coalition of Hmong Students, which promotes awareness of Hmong culture at Carleton, and sponsored by Hmong Culture Outreach at St. Olaf College. Festivities begin at 5:00 p.m.; the event is free and open to the public, and Hmong appetizers will be served.
The Hmong ethnic group hails from the mountainous regions of southern China, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, with over 4 million Hmong across the globe. Due to war and persecution in their homelands, a number of Hmong have come to the United States in the last few decades, with many settling in Minnesota. The number of Minnesota Hmong is rapidly rising and was over 60,000 in 2010 according to the U.S. Census. Minnesota is estimated to have the second-largest Hmong population of any state after California, and Ramsey County is estimated to have the second-largest Hmong population of any county (after Fresno County, California).
For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact the Carleton College Office of College Relations at (507) 222-4308. Severance Hall is located on College Street on the Carleton College campus in Northfield.