But you can really feel and see the impact of the younger generation when you look at modern fashions and listen to their music.
Charles Yang drew a crowd to the Fresno Exhibition Center, southeast of Fresno. People celebrating Hmong’s New Year enjoyed their method of playing the guitar with their fingers.
Yang said, “A lot of people come and tell me I’ve never heard anything like this, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Kind of expose this kind of thing to the Hmong community.”
Visitors knew various music artists because they watched their videos on YouTube.
It is useful for artists like Maiyia Vue, who sold her CDs.
Vue said, “I’ve met people from all different states, who come and are really supportive. They support all the artists, so it’s really fantastic.”
Hmong New Year is such a colorful celebration that you will find it everywhere with all the shiny fabrics and shiny coins.
But we noticed that the younger generation put their own fashion on traditional dresses.
Jennifer Vue explained, “Trying to make it more modern right now, yes. I say they just want a small difference.”
Young Hmong still like to dress up for the New Year celebration, but many of them prefer to show more personality as they combine the old with the new.
Rick Yang of Milwaukee, Washington, said, “Yeah, we put our own design into it. Now it’s different because my clothes, as you can see, are different compared to the rest.”
Sellers were out to make sure small and large shoppers could find everything they needed to make new dresses.
But they’re also here to feed the masses with traditional dishes like the papaya salad, as well as the “pho-ritto,” which combines cultures by incorporating pho ingredients into a burrito. It is the best of both worlds.
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