Ukrainian native shares culture with Sheldon, Bronaugh students

Sergei Shapoval, who was born in the Ukraine, shares the music, traditions and culture of the Ukrainian people with students on Monday. In many ways, wheat and straw are important parts of the culture, with its focus of agriculture evident even in the blue and yellow flag, representing the sky and the ground.

Dressed in a traditional embroidered shirt; bright blue trousers, called sharovary; red boots; a red sash and a Persian lamb hat and carrying a loaf of bread in an embroidered cloth, Sergei Shapoval greeted the students gathered in the Sheldon school gym with a traditional welcoming ceremony.

"When you come to visit someone in the Ukraine they greet you with a loaf of bread," Shapoval said. "The bread, and the salt you dip it in, represents prosperity."

With that greeting Shapoval proceeded to bring the bread basket of Europe to life in front of the enraptured students from Sheldon and Bronaugh.

The Ukraine is the size of Texas with approximately 50 million residents. The capital is Kiev and the flag is blue and yellow -- blue to represent the sky and yellow to represent the Ukrainian soil.

Farming is important in the Ukraine and outside of the cities with their massive blocks of apartment buildings dating from the communist regime, Ukrainians often live on small farms with vegetable gardens behind the houses.

Root cellars are often used on these small farms for storage space.

"This is a picture of manure," Shapoval said pointing to a television monitor. "In Ukraine we call this Ukrainian gold because when you spread it on the land it produces the wheat we turn into bread."

Shapoval also used the television to show the students what Ukrainian folk dances looked and sounded like. Students joined Shapoval for some one-on-one fun with musical instruments including a tambourine like device and a small stringed instrument. Shapoval brought out what looked like a drum with a tail.

"This is a Buhai," Shapoval said. "You wet your fingers three times, then you wet the hair three times and then you play it, it is like an early bass fiddle."

Another instrument to make its appearance was the hurdy gurdy, a single-stringed instrument that is played by turning a crank and pressing keys.

This is the fifth such program for the school. Previously, the students have experienced programs on Spain, Russia, Australia and Ireland.

The programs are made available with the assistance of the Missouri Arts Council which funds 60 percent of the cost of the program.

According to a press release, Phyllis Sprenkle, Sheldon superintendent said of the program, "The school district feels that these programs are very worthwhile as they broaden our students awareness of other cultures, their history, music and art. Sheldon R-8 School would like to thank the Missouri Arts Council for providing financial assistance in bringing this worthwhile program to both our students and those from Bronaugh."

Shapoval came to the United States before the fall of the Soviet Union and was hired by Avila College.

With three masters degrees to his credit, Shapoval joined with Margie Tritt to form Cultural Kaleidoscope to offer programs on four different countries.