Some residents of Carthage have disapproved of the event, and gang activity in the 1900s and early 2000s has resulted in gun and knife violence. However, many residents look forward to the festival each year and visit the event to partake in Vietnamese cuisine. A local version of the event began in the Diocese of Orange, California, in 2022.
The Congregation organized the inaugural Marian Day in June 1978, in celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[5][4] Around 1,500 Vietnamese Catholics participated in the one-day retreat.[4][6] The event had origins in Vietnam, as a way of asking the Virgin Mary for peace in the Vietnam War.[7] The 1979 event welcomed Cardinal John Carberry, who imparted a special blessing from John Paul II to the event. The gathering was expanded to a weekend and especially dedicated in celebration of Vietnam's consecration to Mary in 1960.[8] In 1987, 35,000 Vietnamese people were estimated to have attended the festival, with it being seen as a "religious New Year for Vietnamese refugees".[7] Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận attended the event in 1995.[9]
Marian Days are celebrated from the first Thursday in August to the following Sunday.[10] Local hotels fill up quickly; campers and tents are options taken by many.[11] One local RV park is used once a year, only for Marian Days.[12] Many local residents allow attendees to camp in their yards; the camping experience is even preferred by some attendees.[11][13] Participants come from the United States and other countries around the world, including Canada, Vietnam, Thailand, and Holland.[5][14][15] Both the Vietnamese and English languages are used in Masses and other events.[16][17]
Crowds in recent years have been estimated between 75,000 and 100,000; Carthage's own population is only around 12,500.[18][1][19] While some residents do not look forward to the festival each year and put up signs warning visitors to stay away, many local residents enjoy the festival, with some looking forward to seeing the same people camp in their yards each year.[20][11] Many local residents also attend the event, partaking in Vietnamese cuisine.[21]
The celebration is a combination of American and Vietnamese culture, with "as much boba as bao" and "as many fried Twinkies as pho", and is seen as an important way for Vietnamese families to reconnect with their heritage.[22][23] Food stalls, pop-up religious goods stores, confessional stations, and booths for various religious congregations are sprinkled throughout the campus.[24] The festival incorporates daily Masses, confessions, adoration, talks and seminars.[23] The closing celebrations on Saturday includes a procession honoring Our Lady of Fatima. Blue and white balloons are released in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, as well as red and yellow balloons in colors representing the flag of Vietnam before Communism.[14][25] Fireworks close out the night.[23] It has become the a central part of Vietnamese-Catholic culture in the United States.[4]
An uptick in religiously unaffiliated Asian youth attending the festival in the mid-1980s coincided with an increase in car theft and extortion attempts. By 1990, members of a Vietnamese gang were attending Marian Days looking for refuge and to connect with other gang members;[28] the festival was seen as a neutral ground where parties would leave each other alone.[29] Police began to bring in collections of mug shots and set up check points to search for weapons and suspects. As a result of these efforts, arrests have been made at the festival of those wanted for robbery and murder.[29][28] Local, state, and federal police, some members of gang task forces, patrol the festival.[30] At the 1995 Marian Days, a 17-year-old from Texas was shot and killed, collateral damage in a gang shootout.[31] A 16-year-old teen was arrested in association with the incident.[32] In 2003, a gang-related stabbing took place at Marian Days. Four men, believed to be associated with a gang from Oklahoma City, were arrested and charged with first-degree assault.[30] After the stabbing, people affiliated with gangs were banned from the festival and checkpoints were added to screen cars entering the festival complex. Gang-related activities have decreased each year since, authorities said in 2016.[33]
↑ Westhoff, Andrea (August 5, 2011). "Local Catholics celebrate with pilgrims". The Carthage Press. Carthage, Missouri: GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011. The Knights of Columbus is a national Catholic men's service organization. St. Ann's chapter has been serving food at the festival for over 20 years and usually serves around 5,000 meals per year.
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