[Tlc] L-Lao New Year

Tue Mar 3 12:02:12 PST 2009

FYI.
Thanks,
justin

Lao National Organizations Join Forces to Celebrate Cultural Festival
at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- The largest and most important cultural festival of Lao Americans outside the country of Laos, the first International Lao New Year Festival 2552 (ILNYF), will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2009 at the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza from 10 AM to 5 PM, and an Evening of Cultural Reception at the prestigious Green Room of the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center from 7 PM to 10 PM.The Opening Reception to commemorate the passage to America will take place on Friday, April 10, 2009 from 3 PM to 6 PM at Marin Museum of Contemporary Art at the Hamilton Field, located in Novato, California. Formally known as the Hamilton Army Airfield, it is considered to be a historic landmark and a refugee transit center that housed thousands of Southeast Asian refugees before their transition to other parts of the country. The 2009 festival is expected to draw more than 30,000 people.

The first International Lao New Year Festival 2552, hosted by three nationally recognized non-profit organizations, the Center for Lao Studies (CLS), the Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), and the Lao Heritage Foundation (LHF) "is an opportunity to unite the people from Laos worldwide to celebrate pride in our ancestral heritage, to showcase the best of Lao arts and cultures through collaboration, and to educate the general public about the plight of Lao American experience in the United States during the past 30 years," explained Sourichanh (Sirch) Chanthyasack, ILNYF Chair and President of the Laotian American National Alliance.

"The first of its kind, this inaugural year's festival provides an opportunity for the overseas Lao community to promote a deeper understanding of our traditions, and to showcase the multi ethnic cultural heritage of the people from Laos," said Pom Outama Khampradith of the Lao Heritage Foundation, Pacific Northwest Chapter. "It also represents the coming together of an emerging Lao American community to celebrate an ancestral heritage and to allow us to open our world to a broader general audience."

"The Lao people celebrate their New Year, Pii May (pronounced Pii-My) or Kut Songkaan according to the ancient Hindu calendar, which falls around April 13th, 14th, or 15th in the Gregorian calendar. The celebration is considered to be the most important and biggest traditional festival in the country which coincides with the end of the dry season and the start of the monsoon season. It is seen as a day of rebirth and purification. The Burmese, Cambodian, Thai, and Tai Lue (Dai) of Sipsongpanna or Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan Province of China also celebrate the same New Year," said Dr. Vinya Sysamouth, Executive Director of the Center for Lao Studies. "In April 2009, we will be celebrating the year 2552 according to the Theravada Buddhist calendar."

The first ILNYF 2552 will feature Lao American cultural exhibits and pavilions showcasing heritage, Kato Lao sport, live concert, music and cultural performances, handicrafts and cuisine. The highlight of the festival also includes the special film screening of Nerakhoon (The Betrayal) co-directed by Thavisouk Phrasavath and Ellen Kuras, 2009 Academy Award® Nominee for Best Documentary Feature and 2009 Independent Spirit Award Nominee for Best Documentary.

Refugees from Laos have called the United States home for the last three decades. During the Indochina Conflict (Vietnam War) era, many Lao Americans fought along side American soldiers in what is known as the "CIA Secret War" since the US Congress never approved the covert operations in Laos. As a result, close to one million people of Lao descent now live in the US, and about 35,000 of them reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The following are highlights of the full-day festival:

Cultural Activities:

    * Tak Baht Merit Making or Buddhist Alms Offering Ceremony to Local Buddhist Monks
    * Buddha Image Procession and Parade
    * Suukhwan/Baci New Year Blessings by Tying Well Wishing Strings on Wrists
    * "Buffalo Roaming" - Story Writing on Life Size Herd of Water Buffalos

Recreational Activities:

    * Kato Lao Championship Demonstration by the USA Takraw Association
    * Tam Maak Huung/Green Papaya Salad Contest
    * Kite Flying: Make and fly your own kite
    * New Year Water Splashing Activities

Cultural Performances:

    *
      Khene Music by Smithsonian Folk Artist/Khene Master Bounseung Sinanonh
    *
      Lam Folk Songs by Smithsonian Folk Singer Khamta Mounixay
    *
      Jonny Olsen's Khene and Lam
    *
      Multi Ethnic Fashion Show
    *
      Traditional Music and Dance Performances
          o Kinnaly-Lao Traditional Music and Dance Troupe from Seattle, WA
          o Khmu Sword Dance-by the Khmu National Federation
          o International Hmong Dancers, by the International Hmong New Year Festival, Inc., Fresno, CA
          o Burmese New Year Song and Dance

Intermission: Special Appearance

    * Master Shi Yanran, Shaolin Temple USA, Shaolin Kung Fu

Stage Performance/Entertainment:

    *
      Pop/R&B Sensations, ALUNA from Vientiane, Laos
    *
      Pop/R&B Sensations, SAM from Vientiane, Laos
    *
      Up Coming Queen of Pop ANOUCK from London, England
    *
      Lao American Pop Artist, KETSANA
    *
      Lao American Hip Hop, LILA T.
    *
      Lao American Reggaeton, ALEX SAN DINERO
    *
      Lao American De Laos a Puerto Rico FANTAZMA    
    *
      Lao American Hip Hop Rap Artist GUMBY a.k.a. PRYCE
    *
      Local Lao American Artists, EVIN AFTER, featuring SARKY, KOU, and LINA
    *
      Lao American Adult Alternative Acoustic MALYSSA a.k.a. KRISTY

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The Center for Lao Studies (CLS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission to promote and advance the field of Lao Studies in all disciplines through research, education, seminars, conferences, and cultural and study abroad exchange programs. www.laostudies.org

The Laotian American National Alliance (LANA) is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit advocacy organization established in 1999 to advocate for the social, economic and educational advancement of Laotian Americans. www.lana-usa.org

The Lao Heritage Foundation (LHF) is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) status. It was established in September 2004 to preserve, promote, and transmit Lao culture through the arts. www.laoheritagefoundation.org
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______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu