(S1E30) Hmong Nightmare Deaths | Additional Information

Greetings Freak Nation (Christian hates when I call it that),

As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, there’s nothing the gang and I love more than cracking open emails from our listeners. I’m stoked to announce that we’ve received a bit of additional information for last weeks episode (S1E30) regarding the traditions of the Hmong! Wanted to give a warm shoutout to Chee Xiong for going through the effort of filling us in on the context and reasoning behind these rituals, and we wanted to pass that knowledge onto you, the single greatest podcast audience this world has ever known (take that Joe Rogan! Just kidding, love us please..). Below you’ll find a few facts from Chee (and Chee’s husband!), be sure to check out the video for an inside look into the ceremony itself! Thanks again for sending this in, Chee!

Hello guys!

I just wanted to add because the man of the household doesn't feed the evil spirits or ancestors. Once every Hmong New Year (starting in October through December) they have to renew their Xwm Kab, kind of like extra security, and also feed their deceased parents. According to what my husband said, it runs in the family.

Heres a link to the ritual they perform: https://youtu.be/gsQaxaeTUFs

The reason for performing this ritual is because several of the family members have died within a certain amount of time under unknown circumstances.

This is the Xwm Kab (image below) spirit that guards the family's well being that will be renewed every new year. It needs to be fed when it's been disturbed or after being asked a favor that has a successful outcome. If any of it is unfulfilled, then the man or any of his family members could get sick.

I hope that wasn't confusing.

Photo of Xwm Kab from Chee Xiong

I’ve taken the liberty of adding that video to this post, to avoid opening multiple windows. Check it out below!

Hope you all enjoy this fascinating inside look as much as we did! We always do our best to gather as much information regarding these topics as we can, but at the end of the day, we can only fit so much into these episodes. It’s incredibly awesome seeing our listeners send in additional snippets that we missed through our research, and we’re always more than happy to share them with all of you on the blog!

Thanks again, Chee, and Stay Freaky!

-Scott