On Sunday in Southern California, thousands of Catholics of Vietnamese orgin gathered to remember martyrs of the faith. Two stories – 
 The LATimes
The OC Register:

Julia Pham leans against a hallway wall behind rows packed with thousands of people in UCI’s Bren Events Center, covers her face with her hands and quietly sobs.
In front of her, a crowd stands up in unison: elderly ladies fingering rosary beads, toddlers snuggling into their mothers’ Sunday dresses, youth with yellow and blue and green scarves around their necks. An artist’s rendering of 117 people is projected onto a screen in front of the amphitheater.
“Today is a big day for everybody,” said Pham, 49, of Garden Grove, wiping away tears. “A lot of people died. So that’s why I cry. … And because I hope I can change my life.”
Vietnamese Catholics from 14 parishes across Orange County worked for six months to prepare for this gathering to honor 117 martyrs killed during the persecution of Catholics in Vietnam from 1798 to 1861.
Pope John Paul II canonized the martyrs in 1988. More than 100,000 were believed to be punished for their faith during that period.
“This is one of the biggest religious celebrations for the Vietnamese in the diocese,” said Father Michael Hoan of the Vietnamese Center in Santa Ana.
The three-hour ceremony and Mass began with a procession through the amphitheater. People dressed in traditional long silk garments and black suits flooded to alters on a stage, some helping to carry two red and gold platforms adorned with dragons in honor of the martyrs and of Christ.
Children wearing the silk frocks, called ao dai, danced with flowers and streamers after the procession. Then the crowd watched a video recounting the introduction of Catholicism to Vietnam by French missionaries.
Afterward, actors re-enacted the tragedy that ensued when the Vietnamese monarchy ordered Christians to renounce their faith. One by one, actors wearing gold breastplates and helmets pretended to stomp, jab and behead Catholic prisoners who refused to comply.
The government attacked 37 parishes and seminaries in Dinh Cat, Vietnam, during the 63-year persecution, but, according to the historical film, the destruction only strengthened people’s faith and helped Catholicism spread in Vietnam.