Minnesota's Thai, Cambodian and Lao communities will be celebrating their New Year this week and holding events at Buddhist temples to mark the important event.
There aren't many Thais here, but there is a Thai Wat, or temple, in Elk River that will host celebrations on Sunday (Thais call it Songkran.)
The Lao and Cambodian populations, however, are fairly significant. Minnesota has the third largest Lao refugee population in the US with 25,000 residents, according to the Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota.
Bounleuth Gowing, with the Lao Advancement Organization of America, located in Minneapolis, said the temples in Monticello and Farmington will perform ceremonies recognizing the New Year -- which typically falls around April 13, 14 or 15 and entails a multi-day celebration.
Those celebrating the New Year will often pour holy water on each other, which is meant to wash away the old spirits from the past year, Gowing said.
