Sokolov, Czech Republic: Romani, Russian and Ukrainian musicians share a stage, minorities present their customs and cuisines
The 15th annual Day of National Minorities was held on 16 September in Sokolov, Czech Republic on Staré náměstí, where the folk cultures of different lands were on display. The Karlovy Vary Regional Committee for National Minorities holds the event annually.
Representatives of the Hungarian, Roma, Slovak, Ukrainian and Vietnamese minorities presented their cuisine and customs. The Romanian minority from the Banat Mountains in the Carpathian mountain range of western Romania also performed for the first time this year.
“We at the Karlovy Vary Regional Assembly’s Committee for National Minorities do our best to break down prejudices and barriers between members of the nations and nationalities living on our territory. The committee supports presentation, tolerance, integration and the coexistence of people with different mentalities and cultures. One event that is unequivocally meant to contribute to this is the regularly-held Day of National Minorities,” regional assembly member Markéta Monsportová, who chairs the committee, told the Czech News Agency (ČTK).
All day long, those visiting the square could taste the specialties of different cuisines from abroad. The Vietnamese community prepared fried spring rolls and their traditional wedding pastries, which differ from Czech ones.
A girl from the Vietnamese group described the wedding pastries as made from soy, with a gelatin-like appearance, and very sweet. The Slovak stand tempted the passers-by with their gnocchi (halušky) served with brynza cheese and different kinds of plum brandy (slivovice).
Ukrainian women in national dress, who also performed dances, offered pirozhki (fried stuffed buns) and pelmeni (stuffed pasta). Representatives of the Russian and Ukrainian minorities even performed on the same stage.
In the Karlovy Vary Region there are many Russian and Ukrainian residents. “Our committee is apolitical, but naturally we have discussed the question of the war in Ukraine, and the committee issued an unequivocal declaration condemning the aggression. Members of the Russian minority have been residing here for many years and I believe they comprehend the situation and also disagree with it,” Monsportová said.
The Day of National Minorities is regularly associated with the Day of the Miners celebrations, which are traditionally held in September at the level of municipalities. All over the Czech Republic, representatives of mining towns march through the center of town in ceremonial uniforms, and in Sokolov they are accompanied by the Barbora brass band; thousands of visitors attend that occasion, as it is one of the biggest cultural events of the year.
