Among comments received from this event said only young faces appeared leading this celebration. It would be truer to say only the youth, the young and the young-at-heart were organizing this event to honor the heritage endowed by our forebears. But behind the scene everyone played an indispensable role for the food, the sound, the songs, the looks, the dances, the transport, and the games and sport.
Not that the young are flexible and adaptable, therefore agile and resourceful, nor that the old are rigid, stagnant, or ignorant but the old share wisdom, guidance, spiritual and financial support and the young made it happen. Keeping with the tradition of honoring the elder in the New Year, the elder were presented with a small token.
This event is the first ever Karen New Year state-wide celebration with communities from across the California State — Sacramento to San Diego, Manteca, Oakland, San Fransisco, Daly City, Union City, Fremont, Bakersfield and many other, Performances were from all kind of age groups from all cities, except from the Sacramento.
This event happened on December 31 at Pacific West Coast, so most part of the world were celebrating a different new year. This event was a celebration of two new years.
Images on the stage
The good looks and the charming smiles and the energy these youth beaming aren’t their merit nor their hard-work but a pure virtue of their young age, possible plus a hereditary endowment.
Photos credit: Williams & Family
A celebration of sombre resistance
The celebration isn’t that we are happy with no reserve. We remember many of our families, relatives, and people who are in hiding and running, eating their tears, feared of their lives in their ancestral homeland. We celebrate to display resilience and resistance to the destruction that our country-folks are facing.
Out of 85 years of official Karen New Year celebration, 75 years have been celebrated under the dark cloud of the world longest civil war — that has be ongoing and escalating. The celebration itself is a symbol of resistance as well as part of the resistance, not to be ashamed of who we are but to uphold our identity by celebrating our roots.
Karen People in California 
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