 For each of the groups, ethnic New Year or Lunar New Year festivals are major community events. Some last several days and also can be important fundraising and educational opportunities for the communities. Parades, fairs, performances, and other special family and community gatherings mark these celebrations. Traditional practices are also maintained to mark important life passages, such as birth, engagement, marriage, and funeral rituals. Other celebrations, such as harvest festivals, mark important seasonal changes for agricultural communities.
Each of the ethnic groups also holds beauty pageants for young women. Although such pageants represent stereotypical gender roles, they also symbolize a sense of ethnic pride, preserve cultural traditions, and serve as fundraisers for community members.
Like other immigrant groups, Southeast Asians participate in American holiday traditions such as the Fourth of July and Christmas. They often infuse these holidays with their own cultural twists, such as by incorporating ethnic foods and music.
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