Carpatho-Rusyn Day Camp
August 13, 2013 found 11 children at the Richfield Library eager and ready to learn about their culture and learn the did!
The morning started off with the locations of Rusyn villages and the countries where they can be found. Each child was able to color a Rusyn flag. Games of word find, with the Cyrillic alphabet, were handed out. A little tricky since we are accustomed to the Latin letters. Each game card had words in both Cyrillic and Latin letters related to "people" (Baba - Dido etc) and other categories. From there things became much more active. Cathy Katrenich, co-director of the dance group, Living Traditions Folk Ensemble, taught everyone a Csardas. Emphasis was put on saying words in Rusyn, learning their meaning and some history about the dance. Several steps and different hand holds were taught in the course of the morning and the children were like little sponges absorbing all the information.
After the lunch break, the story, Uncle Andy, written by Andy Warhol's nephew, James Warhola, was read. The book is about a visit to his Uncle Andy's house and made the children aware that Andy Warhol was a very famous but a bit eccentric artist. Now the children know Andy Warhol is of Rusyn descent.
Next came the Polka. A little trickier step but by the end of the day there was a train of Polka stepping children.
Singing was next on the list of activities and everyone learned Daj ze Boze Dobrij Cas. The pronunciation and meaning of the words were repeated in various ways to reinforce the learning of a new language.
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| Hand embroidery on sheep skin |
The finale of the day found the children performing for their parents, complete with ethnic costuming with beautiful embroidery. They learned that villages had their own designs and color combinations thereby signifying the village of the person wearing the clothing and that the materials used to make the clothing were made by hand and not bought from a store. The program included singing Daj ze Boze Dobrij Cas, the Csardas and a Polka line (complete with parents).
Even though the group was comprised of children from 4 to 12 each was given attention to learning on his/her level.
We are looking forward to many more wonderful experiences with the children in the near future. If you have children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren, plan on having them attend our next Day Camp to learn and have fun with activities involving their culture. Better yet, come and share your knowledge and experiences related to our culture. We're always happy to have fresh faces and ideas.
Many thanks to Cathy Katrenich of Living Traditions Folk Ensemble for a wonderful experience for these young people. Living Traditions' website can be found at www.living-traditions.org, if you would like to learn about the group or see their schedule of events to catch a performance.
Many thanks to Silver Frog Studio for creating our logo for this event. If you need help with your advertising needs, give them a call at 330-569-3303.
Many thanks to Cathy Katrenich of Living Traditions Folk Ensemble for a wonderful experience for these young people. Living Traditions' website can be found at www.living-traditions.org, if you would like to learn about the group or see their schedule of events to catch a performance.
Many thanks to Silver Frog Studio for creating our logo for this event. If you need help with your advertising needs, give them a call at 330-569-3303.
Living Traditions will be performing at our Vatra September 21, 2013, at the Shrine of Mariapoch, 17486 Mumford Road, Burton, OH from noon to ??? and the entry fee is the best
"FREE"
Hope to see everyone there. It's a great "ethnic" experience.
