Eastern European Festival celebrates cultural diversity with fashion, music and more

Music, food and plenty of cultural pride dominated Sunday’s Eastern European Festival at the Cathedral of Learning.

Pitt’s Center for Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies hosted a festival featuring vendors, educators and advocates with roots from nearly every country in Eastern Europe. .

Vendors showcased some traditional Eastern European fashion, and each dress and shirt with great detail said something about the country. , There was a small black spot on the collar, which made it look simple from a distance, but had a lot of detail when seen up close.

Live music also entertained attendees throughout the festival. gypsy stringswas the first act of an acoustic quartet performing Eastern European music on traditional instruments. Later in the day, singers Kathleen Manukyan and Zuri Inirio entertained the crowd with several songs while Robert Frankenberry played piano.

The kids were sitting and doing arts and crafts. Some made paper snowflakes, a Polish tradition, while others excitedly colored the outlines of different countries in Eastern Europe.

Gypsy Strings will perform at the East European Festival at the Cathedral of Learning on Sunday.
(Pamela Smith | Visual Editor)

Folk artist Larry Kozlowski, who was in charge of the Paper Snowflake station, talks about the importance of carrying on tradition. He said that especially those who are older and feeling lonely should familiarize themselves with their heritage.

“It tells us who we are, where we come from and where we are going,” Kozlowski said.

“Once your parents die…that’s the only connection you have with the past and opens up the future.”

He said people need to learn about culture outside the classroom. Many Americans struggle because they’ve lost contact with their family’s culture over time.

“We are all one, but there are many. Everyone has as many cultures as others,” says Kozlowski.

Areti Papanastacio, a professor of modern Greece, says that exposure to cultures other than your own can help you understand your own culture more clearly. She pointed out that many English words have Greek origins, including words such as philosophy, chaos, and mathematics.

“Understanding another culture helps you understand the nuances of your own,” said Papanastacio. “About 25% of English words have Greek roots.”

Vendors also shared their culture with participants by selling various items from their countries. Lesha Yurgovsky stood behind a table where various Ukrainian cultural costumes were sold. Yurgovsky runs a charity to help the people of Ukraine who are suffering as a result of Russia’s aggression earlier this year.

“I run a Ukrainian charity for war victims, orphans and people who have been forced from their homes and cannot leave Ukraine,” Yurgovsky said. “This is why I am here today. To help the Ukrainian people.”

Despite their diverse backgrounds, each of the attendees had a deep appreciation for their own culture and blend of cultures. To carry on old traditions, to share their love of languages, to raise money for charity, to share ethnic cuisine, they all did it out of this gratitude.

“We are all different, but in laughing, crying and everything in between, we are all the same,” Kozlowski said. “Family isn’t what it used to be, but love has no words. What you speak is the language of your heart. ”