Hmong New year, December 11, 1999 El Dorado Park, Long Beach Photo: Connie Sziebl |
People of the 38th District of California
Through photographs and text, this project
celebrates the cultural traditions and history of diverse 38th
District communities: Cambodian, Hmong, Indo-American, Chamorro,
and African-American. Individual events spotlighting each culture
are described.
Cambodian people first came to the
United States -- and the 38th District -- when they fled persecution
and mass killing by the Khmer Rouge during the 1970s. Cambodian
traditions are kept alive in the celebration of the Cambodian New
Year in April, which features native food, religious events, and
traditional Cambodian dances, with their elaborate costumes and
graceful movements. The
Hmong people, who came to
the 38th District in the wake of the war in Vietnam, celebrate
their New Year in December. Wearing colorful embroidered costumes,
singing native songs and playing native instruments, the Hmong
celebrate New Year by performing rituals to honor the dead and the
spirits of nature. The heritage of the Indo-Americans in the
District is preserved through their social, professional and
political clubs, and by wearing their traditional dress and
performing folk dances from India. The
Chamorro people, originally from the Mariana Islands and Guam in the
Pacific, hold an annual cultural fair in Long Beach; central to the
Chamorran heritage is respect for elders, religious beliefs,
storytelling, dancing, canoe-making, sea navigation, and the
manufacture of weapons and tools. Marking the end of slavery,
Juneteenth was first celebrated on June 19 in Galveston, Texas, in
1865. Today
African-Americans in Long Beach
celebrate the holiday with choir performances, African dances and
fashions and display of African artifacts.
Individual events also help to bind together the many
races and nationalities represented in the 38th District. Kidsday
recognizes the outstanding achievements of 100 to 200 Downey youth
in academic, athletic and community-based activities. Other 38th
District events include the Annual Downey Youth Fishing Day, the
Cinco de Mayo celebration in Long Beach, and the Anaheim
International Festival street fair. The report also describes the
importance of the Long Beach Municipal Band to the 38th District
and the contributions to the District by Long Beach's sister city
of Sochi, Russia.
Originally submitted by: Stephen Horn, Representative (38th District).
More Local Legacies... |
|
|
The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
|