Thousands flocked to Hmong International Freedom Festival in St. Paul on Saturday, undeterred by rain, heat or humidity.
The two-day event at Como Park, one of the largest Hmong gatherings in the country, had a special resonance this year, the 50th anniversary of the Hmong arrival in the United States.
Mee Vang, president of United Hmong Family, which hosts the event, called it “The Big Dance” because people from all over the world come every year to celebrate Hmong culture.
“We are truly Hmong Americans and embracing this as our home,” Vang said.
The first Hmong families came to Minnesota as refugees at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 when communists took over neighboring Laos. Since then, Minnesota has become a hub of the Hmong community.
Freedom Fest, informally known as “Hmong J4,” began as a picnic 43 years ago and has grown to a festival that attracted 57,000 people last year, according to United Hmong Family…