BROUSSARD, La. — In Broussard, the Lao New Year Festival is celebrating its 40th year.
It brings together people from all over the world for a three-day event filled with cultural festivities.
For three years, local vendor Mimi Sengsouly, owner of Mimi's Fresh Asian Cuisine, has been selling her traditional food at the event.
Sengsouly tells KATC her favorite part of the event. "To be helping the community and spread the tradition to show the world that we have a tradition here too," said Sengsouly.
Located behind a neighborhood, the religious grounds that host the festival were established by Laotian immigrants in the 1980s and continue to thrive four decades later.
"The Louisiana Lao Festival is an important time for this community because it's time for us to get together and welcome in a new year and also make merit so that we have karma for the next life," said Phanat Xanamane.
Over the course of three days, thousands come to celebrate Laotian culture. One attendee spoke about being welcomed with open arms.
"A couple of years ago, one of my best friends decided to share her culture with me and said, 'Hey, you wanna come to Lao New Year?' I had never been, so I've been coming ever since. Obviously, I embraced it fully, wearing this beautiful thing I borrowed from her family. It's been great," Hannah Bee says.
The festival offers a diverse range of experiences, featuring vendors that sell a variety of items, from handmade goods to food.
"There's really great rituals, and you can get blessings from monks, and enjoy water fights and other small parades and house parties going on in the neighborhood as well," Xanamane said.
The sights, smells, and sense of community make this festival a cherished tradition each year.
"This immigrant community, it's important to celebrate ourselves because we came here to make a better life for ourselves," said Xanamane. "We've been contributing to this country since we came over 40 years ago. This is a good time to get together with our friends and our family and celebrate that aspect, our history, our culture, and being American and being part of this diverse nation and diverse country."
The festival continues throughout the weekend. For a list of events, click here.
