Laotian-Americans in San Diego Celebrate a New Year

April 19, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On April 19, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that many in San Diego's Laotian-American community would be celebrating the start of their new year by attending an annual two-day festival. "During the official start of Pi Mai -- the year 2544, according to the Buddhist calendar -- the city's three Lao Buddhist temples were filled with people reflecting and praying in the company of monks...Some 20,000 Laotian-Americans now call the San Diego area home."