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Padao are Hmong traditional clothings. They are hand made clothes that are sew together to make traditional clothings for the Hmong New Year, or they are sew to make a story. Stories of the padao are usually about the Vietnam War, or "the secret wars," and the migration to the United States.

Story Cltohes
From farming villages to the refugees. Laos to the United States. After the secret war, many Hmongs was hunted and massacred. Those that were lucky met soldiers that was willing to help them escape. The rest flee in secret through forests and lakes. They crossed the Mekong River just to get to the borders of Thailand, where it is save from soldiers of Laos.Because the refugees were destitute, missionaries at the camps encouraged Hmong women to produce items for sale to western markets, which brought about the ideas of hmong story cloths. Although fine needlework techniques and patterns are traditional to Hmong culture, story cloths are not. Missionaries urged women to embroider their experiences onto textile squares for an American audience. Although the Hmong people preferred bright and bold colors, missionaries chose hues they believed appealed to American tastes. The result is a unique amalgam.

Traditional clothings
During the Hmong New Year, everyone is encouraged to wear beautiful clothings. The clothes are really colorful. There are many different kinds of patterns on the traditional clothings to show which clan they are from. Not only is the clothings worn during the Hmong New Year, it is also worn during a traditional hmong wedding.