DES MOINES, Iowa — Every year around this time, it's a celebration for the Hmong community not just here in Iowa, but all over the country.
It's when Hmong communities celebrate Hmong New Year. The celebrations are done through food, music, clothes, face-to-face conversations and reconnecting with people you may not have seen in a while.
For Sandy Yang in Des Moines, this is always a time of year she looks forward to.
"When I was young, my mom would pack like 20 pounds of coins on me and when I walked, people could hear me from a block away," she recalled, proudly showing off her traditional Hmong clothes dangling with coins.
She doesn't just love the Hmong clothes and the history behind them, but also the memories her Hmong clothes bring back about her family.
"I made this," she said. "So, when I got married, 'Guess what?' my mom said. 'Check your suitcase because I packed you all the stuff that you made,'" Sandy recalled. Most Hmong mothers gift or pass on traditional clothing to their daughters on their wedding day or when they get married and start a new life with their spouse.
Sandy can remember her love for Hmong clothes and her culture extending far back to her childhood in Oregon, like saving her own money to buy a Hmong dress when she was 8 years old.
"I worked hard strawberry picking and I bought it for myself," she said.
Now a mother herself, Sandy comes to life this time of year as Hmong people all over the country, including in Iowa, celebrate the Hmong New Year.
"If you see people wearing bright colors, you know those are Hmong people," she said.
For her, it's a time to step out and just be Hmong and be proud. Sandy said the last few years, especially the "proud" part, has been loud.
"I think it's amazing being out there," Sandy said.
She thinks it's amazing to celebrate that pride here in Iowa and share it. As Sandy puts it: being Hmong is being connected. So in the last few years, seeing glass ceilings broken all over the country, world history made, she hopes her daughters envision that for themselves.
"There's someone who's just like you making it big. You could too, if you want to," she explained.
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To find two people who have inspired her, just head up I-35 north to St. Paul and Minneapolis. There, you find John Lee and Yeev Thoj, parents of Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee, the first Hmong Olympic gold medalist ever.
"I think it's great," John said about what he's seeing in the Hmong community today. "Right now, not only are we seeing other younger kids, not just the boys but the girls are coming up and now we have so many girls successfully in the field now."
They understand that pride Sandy carries as a mother. Around St. Paul, Suni's presence is seen, felt and celebrated.
"It means a lot for this to be a big deal in Minnesota and in my city," Suni said over the summer as a bust to honor her was revealed at Phalen Regional Park in her native east St. Paul. There's also a mural commemorating her gold medal on St. Paul's west side.
This is a feat Hmong parents like John and Yeev, who came up in a different time, are proud to see.
"I see little girls now who are doing gymnastics or now they're doing soccer, playing all of these sports and wanting to make it big and a lot of parents are out there supporting their kids so that's great. In our time, we didn't have anybody to support us," Yeev said.
"If you can look at your kids and they're good at something, you kind of have to help them towards their goal. If you see a kid that can dance, support that. Don't say 'Oh, doing that won't achieve anything,'" John explained in Hmong.
John recalled growing up in St. Paul as a promising young soccer player. He eventually graduated from Cretin-Durham Hall High School in St. Paul and then joined the U.S. Navy, being stationed all over the world during his time serving the country.
While John and Yeev speak of support, just a short drive away in uptown Minneapolis, is Union Hmong Kitchen, the manifestation of a goal, of support, and of achieving.
"It's nothing new," said Chef Yia Vang, owner of Union Hmong Kitchen. "Hundreds of years our ancestors have been doing that in the mountains of Laos and in the hills of Laos and now we, as that one generation, get to speak on it. We get to carry that story."
Chef Yia, boasting a list of accolades longer than his menus, has given Hmong cuisine mainstream exposure like never seen before, but it all tells a story about family and his roots.
"The Hmong word 'xeeb ntxwv' ... we think about that word. That word is so rich to us. It's not just a word that means ancestors," he said.
From Netflix shows, YouTube specials, his own series "Feral" on the Outdoor Channel, to the Midwest ... knowing the past has helped him build an unshakeable foundation to propel him forward.
"Being Hmong means that you strive forward not just for yourself, you strive forward remembering your past to know where you are in your present to give trajectory for our people's future. That's what being Hmong is about," the chef said.
"When I was growing up, I didn't get that so to have my kids play sports and be good at it and be successful, I'll support it. No matter what," said Yeev.
Like John and Yeev, Sandy's a mother. Like Chef Yia, Sandy has ambitions and dreams.
"I hope that the younger generation steps up and has more involvement so the community can come together and just get to know one another and just enjoy," she said.
For Sandy, being Hmong is being together and keeping generations connected while everyone moves forward together.
In a second story highlighting Hmong New Year, Local 5 is sharing stories of Hmong Iowans who have made state history and carved a path for the community here. They share what they hope to see for the Hmong community in the years to come. John, Yeev, and Chef Yia are adding more to the conversation. That story will air on Local 5 the last week of November.
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