By Laura Citino
Western Herald
The varied culture of Russia could be found in one building at Kalamazoo’s 14th Annual Russian Festival, held this Saturday at the Fetzer Center at Western Michigan University.
Each floor and most rooms of the Fetzer Center were transformed to offer a different perspective and insight into the culture of Russia.
Immediately upon entry the participants were treated to a cultural exchange between the host city of Kalamazoo and its Russian community, which came out in full force for the festival. The air was split between half English and half Russian conversations, punctuated by drums, whistles, and pigtailed children in traditional Russian garb running around with candies and small prizes in their hands.
The festival, sponsored in large part by the Kalamazoo-Pushkin sister city partnership, began with a n opening bread and salt ceremony. Led by the Russian Embassy Children’s choir, who would later perform in front of a packed auditorium, the ceremony traditionally begins all gala events in Russia. Eating bread dipped in salt is said to bring great health, wellbeing and peace to the participants.
The ground floor of the Fetzer Center was home to an informal collection of vendors, many of them sponsors of the Festival itself. Kazoo Books, a supporter of Buy Local Kalamazoo, set up a booth featuring books by renowned historical fiction author Robert Alexander, who spoke later at the festival.
Several other tables sold handmade crafts either created by Russian expatriates living in Kalamazoo or exported in from Russia itself. Many visitors to the festival perused the selection of handmade potholders, pillows, aprons, dolls, and linens for possible unique gifts for the forthcoming holiday season.
Aaron Canfield was one such vendor. Canfield and his Russian wife’s table offered handmade linen goods imported from his wife’s home of Ivanovo, Russia, one of the most dominant sectors of the textile industry in the former Soviet Union. Because of the exchange rate, the Canfields are able to sell the linen at low prices, thus making this cultural asset even more accessible to interested Kalamazoo citizens.
“It allows us to make a few bucks for the next time we go to Russia,” Canfield said. “We visit there as often as we can, to visit my wife’s family and friends there.”
Down the hall, smaller conference rooms opened up yet more insights into Russian society and culture. Families with children were able to stay entirely entertained by the spirited performances of BenJammin’ as well as Zhanna Skalitzky, who led the children through counting and alphabet games and songs and dances in Russian.
On the other side of the children’s room an informal art gallery was set up, showcasing watercolors, photography, prints, and sketches by Russian artists. Silk batiks, a particular style of textile dyeing, created by students at the School of the Deaf in Pushkin were a special example of Kalamazoo’s close ties with its Russian sister-city.
“All of these paints are so beautiful,” said Emily Grant, a sophomore at Western Michigan University. “Being Russian makes them a little exotic. I think it’s really cool that we get to see them here in Kalamazoo.”
Inside the so-called “Marketplace” in one of the ballrooms, still more vendors set up their tables of Russian jewelry, paintings, religious iconography, and even humanitarian organizations. This last factor in particular shows the true conflict at the heart of modern Russian culture: of looking forward while still dealing with the destruction of the past.
One such group, From Russia With Love, raises money to fund the work of Connie Meyer, a Danish social worker living in Moscow. The group cooperates with the Russian Orthodox Church to help Meyer rebuild churches and medical institutions in the poverty-stricken city.
“We just want to do whatever we can,” said Kristian Mohr, a member of From Russia With Love’s steering committee. “It’s a great project. She’s the only person of her kind.”
“Many countries were destroyed in World War Two,” said Mohr. “Obviously, Germany and Poland among them. But in many ways, Russia was hit the hardest.”
The organization provides such services as emergency and dental care, food, money for families to avoid eviction, pregnancy and pre-natal care, and Sunday school services. The children of Moscow and Russia are a special cause for the group.
“Russia has more abandoned children now than in the time of the Soviet Union,” said John Wilhelm, founder of the organization. “We are really trying to rebuild their country over there. I would love to get more of our own country involved in theirs. We’re trying to break down a lot of those Russian stereotypes.”
A more historical look at Russia was offered by Robert Alexander, an author of primarily historical fiction during the time of the Rasputin, the famed and fabled figure of the Russian Revolution. After reading and speaking on the culture of Russia during this conflicted time, Alexander fielded questions from the audience about his historical sources, devotion to truth, and his lively characterizations.
“There are so many peculiar parts of Russian orthodoxy,” said Alexander. “Rasputin was such a character. There are so many myths and so many stories about him.”
Such a crash course in Russian culture, literature, music, and history could give even the most seasoned traveler an appetite. Such a hunger was also taken care of at the Festival through its Ethnic Lunch, catered by WMU Catering Services. Such traditional fare as borsch, or cold cabbage soup, beef stroganoff, breads and cabbage rolls were served to a hungry crowd, and well gone by the end of lunchtime.
After being transported half a world away and dropped into the very heart of Russian culture in so many ways, the take-home message of the day was clear. It is only through an open-minded and good-willed global exchange of ideas that our world will grow stronger.
“Everyone here is just so friendly,” said Grant. “Everyone wants to talk to you about their table, what they’re selling, their experiences with Russia and Russian people. It makes you really enthusiastic about the culture yourself.”
As such a rich country that has gone through so much upheaval and change throughout history, Russia is a place well worth such enthusiasm.
For more information on the Kalamazoo-Pushkin Partnership and the Russian festival past and present, visit www.russianfestival.org.
