Festivals over the next two weekends at the Cathedral of Learning will celebrate a variety of Eastern European countries.

Slovak Heritage Festival

The Slovak Studies Program will host the 32nd annual Slovak Heritage Festival from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 6 in person in the Commons Room of the Cathedral. The event will celebrate Slovak culture, history, food, crafts and education. Sponsors include the First Catholic Slovak Union, Sokol USA and the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs. Admission is free. Watch the 2020 and 2021 virtual festival videos on our YouTube channel. To be added to the Slovak Heritage Festival email list, write to slavic@pitt.edu.

Polishfest 2022

Polishfest from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Cathedral Commons Room is designed to give festival guests, families, and students an opportunity to experience the living cultures of the Polish, Lithuanian and Carpatho-Rusyn peoples. The theme of the event — Unity In Diversity: We Are One But Many Different In The Same — reflects how these people throughout history were joined and separated and are now independently connected.

This family-oriented event is free and will include many activities such as Polish name writing; Lithuanian angel papercutting demonstration; pierogi / pirohy cooking demonstrations and samples; Carpatho-Rusyn spinning and lace making; and a pierogi toss. Entertainment will include Polish folk songs with a violinist; a Lithuanian choir with Bocjai folk songs; Polish Karazula folk songs and folk dancing by the “Lajkoniki” Ensemble; Polka dancing; and contemporary Polish music. 

Sponsors include the Polish Nationality Room Committee and community; the Lithuanian Nationality Room Committee and community; Carpatho-Rusyn Society Of America; Nationality Rooms and lntercultural Exchange Programs; Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Polish Falcons Of America and the Romanian Nationality Room Committee.