On Saturday, October 8th, my boyfriend and I visited the Second Annual Russian Festival at St. Justin Martyr Orthodox Church in Jacksonville. There was live music, dance performances, multiple displays, and food! It was a smaller festival, but it didn’t lack in the display of culture. The atmosphere was great, and after the experience, I think I prefer the smaller festivals because it allows you to really get a feel for the culture.
First, we watched the Mark Spivak Russian Fold Dance Toupe and the classical and folk performances. The performers, I would guess, were between ages 10 and 17, but were absolutely talented. I wasn’t sure what to expect of a Russian dance, but it was actually really cool. They wore authentic Russian clothing and each of the performances told a different story.
Once the performances were over, we decided to try the food. We both got the piroshky. The piroshky was a stuffed breading in the shape of a triangle. The breading has a sweet taste to it, almost like that of an original donut without the glaze. It was stuffed with feta cheese and spinach, but they had a version with meat in it as well. It was not the best thing I have ever tasted, but it was not bad. As we ate, there was music playing, both live and on tape. Although all the music was in Russian and I was not able to understand it, but I thought it was pretty. I noticed that, to me, all the music played sounded very theatrical.
After we ate, we walked around and looked at the displays. There was a lot of art displays, but the one that caught my eye was the World War II display. There were three separate displays set up. The first two were of different artifacts. The third was my favorite. It was a tent with a bunch of different war supplies. It was set up in a specific way that would show of the artifacts but at the same time allow one to see the living situation of the soldiers.
As we walked around, I could see people dressed up in authentic Russian clothing. It was a smaller festival and many of the people there were Russian, which wasn’t surprising. They seemed to all know each other and all the children were running around by themselves, so I assumed they attended the church together. Even though it was clear my boyfriend and I were outsiders, everyone welcomed us and were extremely friendly. Even when I held up the food line, asking what everything was, no one got annoyed. The woman in line behind me even stepped up and explained all the cuisines to me. If I could make any conclusion about the Russian culture on such a short experience, I would say that they are a lot of fun, welcoming, and warm. The friendly atmosphere definitely made me want to go back next year. Being it was a smaller festival and only the second year of hosting the festival, would be interesting to see how it expands over the years.
