Paul, Minnesota on November 16, 2023. The Hmong New Year celebration, known as "Noj Peb Caug," is a significant event in the Hmong calendar and is celebrated mostly in November and December among Hmong Americans. The community gathers to perform various rituals and ceremonies to honor their ancestors, connect with spiritual guides, and seek restoration of lost spirits.

One prominent figure in the Hmong community is Mee Vang Yang, who will soon ritually redecorate the altar in her living room as part of the annual fall renewal of her shaman spirit. On this altar, she keeps her father's ring-shaped shaman bells, which she carried across the Mekong River as her family fled the Communist takeover of Laos four decades ago. These bells serve as a connection to the spiritual world, allowing Mee Vang Yang to help fellow refugees and their American-raised children who seek restoration of lost spirits.

The Hmong people, who were persecuted as an ethnic minority in their ancestral lands in China, fled to the mountains of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Tens of thousands of Hmong individuals fought for the United States during the Vietnam War. As Communist regimes swept the region, they escaped to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand and eventually resettled in California farm country and Minnesota's capital city, St. Paul.

The majority of the approximately 300,000 Hmong in the United States practice animism, believing that spirits reside throughout the physical world. Lee Pao Xiong, the director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, explains that the Hmong believe in multiple souls in a person, any of which can leave and needs to be ceremonially called back. However, many younger Hmong individuals have not learned the spiritual significance of their cultural traditions, including popular ones like the Thanksgiving weekend dance, music, and craft performances.

Tzianeng Vang, Mee Vang Yang's nephew, emphasizes the importance of preserving these animist traditions for future generations. He, along with other community leaders, aims to divulge knowledge of these traditions to prevent their loss. He states, "You preserve it here or you have nowhere." He highlights that a traditional Hmong home is not just a home but also a place of worship.

The Hmong New Year celebration involves various rituals and practices. Soul-calling ceremonies are performed by male heads of households to regenerate their energy for another season of healing. Ancestor spirits are venerated, and the protection of good spirits is invoked. These ceremonies often include the ritual slaughter of cows, pigs, or chickens as an offering or an exchange of spirits.

The importance of meat in new year dishes is emphasized as it was considered a rare delicacy and believed to bring wealth in Hmong society. Moua Yang, who runs a hog butcher shop on a farm north of St. Paul, provides a service to the community by allowing community members to perform rituals on-site before the animals are killed. He states, "To me, it's a service to the community. Because they feel it's for their wellbeing."

The Hmong Village indoor market on the outskirts of St. Paul is a bustling hub during the new year celebration. Families gather to buy traditional clothing, headwear, and jewelry pieces for the festivities. The market is filled with the fragrances of herbs and tropical fruits imported from Southeast Asia and California.

Educating youth about their ancestral culture is a crucial aim of the Hmong Cultural Center. Txongpao Lee, the director of the center, stresses the importance of learning from parents and preparing for future generations. He notes that about one third of young Hmong individuals have converted to Christianity, and acceptance of ancestral customs varies among church denominations.

Shamanism plays a significant role in the Hmong community, with individuals like Chad Lee and his wife, Hlee Xiong Lee, serving as shamans. Shamans often associate the revelation of their gift with life-threatening sickness and believe that they could die if they refuse the call. Hlee Xiong Lee's path to shamanism has been arduous, entailing rigorous training with a shaman mentor to learn how to communicate with the spirit world.

The Hmong New Year celebrations are a blend of tradition and adaptation to American culture. The younger generations, like Kevin Lee, who also possesses spiritual abilities, navigate their regular childhood in St. Paul while staying connected to the spiritual customs of their ancestors. Despite facing challenges and sometimes being seen as different by their peers, they embrace their traditions with pride.

As the Hmong community in St. Paul prepares for the upcoming Hmong New Year celebration, they continue to preserve their cultural traditions and pass them on to future generations. Through rituals, ceremonies, and community gatherings, they honor their ancestors, connect with the spiritual world, and seek restoration of lost spirits.