LAWRENCE, Kan. — Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREES) at the University of Kansas held its annual Spring Festival at Liberty Hall on Sunday, showcasing cultures throughout those regions.
The festival included live performances from a traditional Turkish ensemble and the local Mavka Ukrainian Dance Group.
Attendees could partake in traditional crafts and enjoy free East European crepes known as Blini.
"It is the celebration of spring," said Megan Luttrell, coordinator and program specialist for CREES.
Luttrell said the the festival has grown over the years, and that CREES planned for around 600 attendees on Sunday.
She wore a ribbon in support of Ukraine.
“Right now it’s important to show solidarity with Ukraine," she said. "I think it’s important to showcase the culture of Ukraine."
The festival provided an opportunity for Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans to gather and celebrate their culture and heritage following the Feb. 24 mark of three years since Russia invaded Ukraine and a heated meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
"I got to read a message from one of my best friends saying, 'Wake up, the war has begun,'" Andrii Drobko said as he recalled the moment he found out about the invasion.
Drobko is from Lviv, Ukraine. He was studying abroad in Budapest, Hungary, when the war began. He's currently a graduate student at KU studying Slavic languages and literature.
"It just felt like hell and pure agony," Drobko said of the beginning of the war.
While away from home, Drobko carries his Ukrainian culture with him and wears it proudly.
“Vyshyvanka is your second skin, it’s like an armor that protects you from bad things," Drobko said of his traditional Ukrainian shirt.
His mother and two older sisters live in Ukraine. His mother gave him the shirt as a gift, which symbolizes protection, care and love, according to Drobko.
“After the war started, Ukrainians embraced their culture identity more, so they started to wear vyshyvanka more often," he said.
Drobko, a graduate student assistant for CREES, worked at the Spring Festival.
“To me, it’s about celebrating cultural diversity and coming together," he said.
Some of the cultural diversity on display included the Mavka Ukrainian Dance Group from Olathe.
Kristina Borys is the owner and artistic director of Mavka. Her mother emigrated to the United States from Ukraine 21 years ago, and many of her family members live in Ukraine.
“When someone’s trying to take your culture away, the most important thing is to preserve it," she said. "Today, we’re reaching out not only to Ukrainians, but to those who want to see what Ukraine is truly all about.”
She called the heated meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy "heartbreaking."
“We were all very disappointed and very embarrassed to be part of this country," she said.
She celebrates her heritage alongside Ukrainian-born Tanya Anisimova, a dancer with Mavka.
“It’s good to spread positivity along with all the negativity that’s happening," Anisimova said.
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