Eastern European party

Eastern European Fair

The Fair of Eastern Europe is a thematic event with typical cooking and handicrafts of eastern European region. Occur monthly on Sundays, near to Vila Prudente Ecological Park in the Eastern Region of São Paulo. This party aims to integrate the immigrants of Eastern European with the local community, allowing consequently, that the cultural identity of these people becomes to Brazilian culture.

History

The Fair of Eastern Europe emerged from an initiative of AMOVIZA^[1] (Association of Residents, Merchants, Businessmen, Clerics and Liberal Professional from Vila Zelina and adjacencies), an organization officially established in 2008, composed mainly of immigrants and descendants who immigrated from Europe to Brazil in the beginning of last century.^[2] The districts that concentrate Eastern European immigrants are: Vila Bela, Vila Alpina, Quinta da Peineira, Jardim Avelino, Vila Lucia, Vila Zelina and Parque Vila Prudente. In this districts are distributed many communities of immigrants from Eastern European (Belarusians, Bulgarians, Croats, Estonians, Slovenians, Hungarians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Czechs and Ukrainians. For better understanding of the impact of these immigrants in the region, it is necessary to inform that Vila Zelina has the second largest Lithuanian community in the world.^[3] These people left their homelands due to wound caused by First World War as well as the Russian Revolution of 1917, which spread throughout eastern Old Continent. When came here, these immigrants had to face the challenge of establishing with the language difficulties, climate and other factors. One of the most difficult periods was the Estado Novo, led by Getúlio Vargas (1937-1945), when the Lithuanian immigrants, were considered communists, being watched by the Political Police of São Paulo.^[4] Therefore, the fair Eastern Europe is an opportunity to meet and celebrate the success of these communities who came to Brazil, beyond, making public their customs and traditions.

Religiosity

Church of São José

Christianity was adopted by the Eastern Europe People between the VI and X centuries, gradually, while pagan beliefs were abandoned. It is correct to say that contemporary Slavs are in most part Orthodox Christians and Roman Catholics, while Protestants and Sunni Muslim, are minority. The Slavic immigrants brought with them this religious profile, and incorporated it in the region as can be seen by the "villages", where it is possible to find churches that celebrate their masses in the mother tongue of the countries of origin, such as: Lithuanian Catholic Church (Paróquia São josé), Ukrainian Catholic Church ((Paróquia Nossa Senhora da Glória)), Russian Orthodox Churches (Igreja Santíssima Trindade, Nossa Senhora da Proteção e dos Starovéri), Church Batista Boas Novas of Russian Origin and Assembléia de Deus Russa.^[5]

Cookery

The stands of the fair offers sweets, snacks and typical drinks of eastern European cookery representing the several Slavic peoples. The fair has many options such as bureka Bulgarian (ring-shaped cook made with many layers and stuffing), varenikis Russians (small pancakes stuffed) and the kugelis Lithuanian (made with potato dough) and many others traditional foods. Regarding the drinks, it is possible to try krupnikas honey liqueur typical of Lithuania and kvass brew that can be mixed with fruit in their preparation.

Handicrafts

The handicraft shows the mixed of cultures

Passed between generations, the traditional handicraft of the region has important products as paintings on porcelain with Ukrainian motifs; the Matrioshkas, one of the most popular items that are small dolls (hollow) made of various types of materials, in which the smaller can still be put into the larger ones, so on, until all dolls fit in one piece; art in wood, painted eggs and characteristic embroidery. There are also presentations of dances, folk choirs, and musicians playing typical instruments ^[6]

Events

The Eastern European festival happens on October 19 - Sunday, from 10am to 18pm, at Aracaty Mirim Street, Jardim Avelino, and is part of events occurred in the month of commemoration of the anniversary of Vila Zelina (October 27, 1927).

Notes

References

• Zen, Erick Reis Godliauskas. O germe da revolução: a comunidade lituana sob vigilância do DEOPS (1924-1950). São Paulo: Associação Editorial Humanitas, 2005, p42