Photo by Deb Gau Dressed in traditional clothing, children joined in the dances and performances at Saturday’s Hmong New Year celebrations in Tracy on Saturday. Family, food and music were big parts of the New Year holiday, area residents said.

TRACY — It was a time for new beginnings — and also for getting together with family, good food, music and more. At the same time, the Hmong New Year celebrations in Tracy this weekend marked a milestone for the Hmong community in southwest Minnesota.

“It’s been 30 years since the first Hmong family moved down to southwest Minnesota,” said Tracy resident Khou Lor.

Hmong families from around southwest Minnesota gathered in Tracy on Saturday to celebrate that legacy, and look forward to prosperity in a new year. The festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a traditional ball toss, and music and Hmong cultural performances.

“The best part is everyone gets to come see each other, that happiness,” said Choua Xiong. Xiong was one of the people who got up to share their talents singing on the stage Saturday.

Most of the festivities Saturday were part of Hmong cultural practices. Organizers explained that the Hmong New Year doesn’t have a set date.

“Traditionally, it was celebrated when the harvest was done,” Lor said. Elders in different communities would decide when it was time to start New Year celebrations, said Walnut Grove resident Xiong “Sean” Yang.

Besides being a time for eating and celebrating, the New Year was traditionally a chance for young people to meet each other and find a potential spouse, said Tracy resident Kou Thao.

Saturday’s celebration started out with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the start of a new year.

“It’s to kind of send off all the old, and welcome the new year with good blessings,” Lor said.

The crowd gathered in a hallway at the high school behind a red ribbon with a balloon tied at its center. As part of the ceremony, Yang cut through the ribbon on one side of the balloon, and then on the other side.

Yang said the first cut of the ribbon was done to eliminate all the bad from the past year. With the second ribbon cut, he said, “We bless the entire community.” Afterward, the balloon would be taken outside and released, he said.

Yang said he was “a little bit nervous” about being chosen to do the ribbon cutting. He had learned the ritual from observing Hmong elders, and recited it for this year’s celebration.

“I tried to keep it a little modern to help young people know what’s going on,” Yang said.

Over the years, New Year’s celebrations have been held in the different communities where Hmong families moved in southwest Minnesota, including Tracy, Walnut Grove and Marshall, Thao said.

“We try to rotate between the three towns,” he said.

This year, area community members also reflected on the legacy of Hmong families moving to southwest Minnesota. In welcoming remarks on Saturday morning, Tracy City Council member Seth Schmidt recalled the time in 1991 when he heard that Heartland Foods reached out to city leaders about bringing Hmong workers to Tracy from St. Charles.

“It’s been a tremendous success, and the Hmong families have become part of Tracy,” he said.

A lot has changed for the Hmong community in southwest Minnesota over the past 30 years, Yang said. Yang was born in Laos, but younger generations of Hmong grew up in Minnesota, including his own children.

“A lot of the young people here were born here,” he said.

Over time, Hmong residents have become an active part of their communities. Schmidt said he’s seen Hmong children welcomed into Tracy schools. Xiong Yang and Kou Thao have served on the city councils of Walnut Grove and Tracy, respectively.

Events like this weekend’s New Year celebration play a role in helping to preserve Hmong culture across generations, Thao said.

“A lot has changed from my parents’ time to now,” Thao said. “Even though we’re evolving, we’re trying to hold on to who we are, too.”