Karen Organization of Minnesota KOM

The Karen Organization of Minnesota (“KOM”) welcomes you and hopes this website can provide you with information about the Karen People in addition to providing resources for the Karen and other refugees from Burma living in Minnesota and the United States.

Join the Asian New Year Celebration February 3

Whether you are celebrating the year 2012, 2751, or the Year of the Dragon, the New Year is an important holiday in many cultures around the world. Metropolitan State University’s Asian Student Organization invites you to join them for an Asian New Year Celebration on Friday, February 3. The event is free and open to the public.

This event will feature a diverse array of traditions celebrated in East, South, and Southeast Asia in forms of music, dance, games, activities, and delicious food. The Karen Cultural Organization’s Don Dance Group is honored to be one of the groups selected to perform at the celebration. Come watch their performance and ring in the New Year!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate Karen New Year

Nearly 2,000 people from many states traveled to St. Paul to celebrate the Karen New Year on December 31 and January 1. The two-day event, held at Washington Technology Magnet School, was a joint effort between the Karen Organization of Minnesota (KOM), the Karen Cultural Organization, and the Karen Celebration Days Committee (KCDC). Festivities included dance performances, speeches by Karen leaders, a formal Karen New Year ceremony, and volleyball and caneball tournaments. Guests on January 1 also enjoyed a traditional Karen meal.

Throughout both days of the event, more than 10 dance troupes from Minnesota, Nebraska, and California graced the stage with their performances of traditional Karen dances including Pe Pee Yaw and the Bamboo Dance, which are performed specifically at the Karen New Year. The ceremony on Sunday also featured traditional dances and songs as well as a storytelling group and speeches by Karen community leaders and St. Paul College President Rassoul Dastmozd. Another important piece of the ceremony was giving thanks to the elders in the community for their leadership and provision.

The Karen New Year is celebrated on the first day of Pyathoe, a month on the Karen calendar that corresponds to December/January. The event symbolizes Karen unity and harmony through the past year and the year ahead. These important cultural events allow the community to pass on their history and traditions to their youth. They are also important opportunities to introduce our neighbors to Karen culture and facilitate goodwill and mutual respect.

The members of KOM and KCDC wish to thank this year’s sponsors of the Karen New Year Celebration: St. Bernard’s Church, Golden Karen Grocery, Guadalupe Alternative Programs, Vietnamese Social Services, Wells Fargo Bank, and Children’s Dental Services, as well as St. Paul Public Schools, which provided us with the space to host this large event. We also thank members of the community for their financial support of this event. It would not have been possible if not for such dedicated community members. “Ta blut doe mah” (thank you very much) for your support, and thank you to everyone who joined us for this celebration!