There's no singularity when it comes to honoring Lunar New Year, including in Connecticut

By Katie Pellico,

Published April 11, 2024 at 8:32 AM EDT

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In celebration of the Khmer New Year, a woman dressed in traditional celebration garments known as the Sampot Charobab performs a ceremonial dance at the Khmer New Year hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut on April 17th, 2023.

Courtesy of Mike Keo / Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut

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A woman takes part in the gilding of a buddha statue at the Khmer New Year celebration hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut on April 17th, 2023.

Courtesy of Mike Keo / Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut

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As a way to show respect to elders and receive blessings for the upcoming year, those who celebrate hand out flowers as part of the Khmer New Years hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut on April 17th, 2023.

Courtesy of Mike Keo / Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut

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Elders and Monks sit and allow those who celebrate the holiday to give them a special bath at the Khmer New Year Celebration hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut on April 17th, 2023. It's a way to apologize for any mistakes, as well as get forgiveness and blessing from them.

Courtesy of Mike Keo / Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut

In Connecticut, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community is vast and varied, with more than 170,000 AAPI people in the state.

And with a diversity of AAPI cultures, there is also a diversity of New Year traditions and celebrations that span across months. We’re just days away from the Laotian New Year and Thai New Year, as well as a Khmer New Year event hosted by the Cambodian Buddhist Society of Connecticut in Bristol.

This hour, we’ll discuss the diversity of Lunar New Year celebrations where we live, and unpack some of the debate around terminology.

GUESTS:

Quan Tran (below right): Co-chair, Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut; Senior Lecturer on Race, Ethnicity and Migration, Yale University
Sounthaly Thammavong: Board Member, Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut
Mike Keo (below left): Senior Communication Officer, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Founder, #IAMNOTAVIRUS

Connecticut Public intern Sajina Shrestha contributed to this report.

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Photographed April 11, 2024, Quan Tran, Co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut and Senior Lecturer on Race, Ethnicity and Migration at Yale University appeared on Where We Live. The show’s topic was Lunar New Year. (Mark Mirko/Connecticut Public) — .