Audio By Carbonatix
When Americans think of Firebirds, they generally think of a flashy Trans Am. “We were thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to expose people to the firebird that we all know as Russians in our fairy tales?’” says Sandra Prizemin, who helped organize today’s inaugural Firebird Festival: A Taste of Russia.
The fairy-tale Firebird is usually an object of a difficult quest, typically initiated when the hero finds a lost tail feather and sets out to capture a live bird — sometimes simply because he wants to, but generally because his father or his king has asked him to find the bird. In this case, the Firebird is a reason to invite people from the community to celebrate Russian food, entertainment and culture.
“We’ll have Russian food, Russian music — mostly concert pianists, they’re pretty accomplished, and some choir music — and really fun things for the kids,” Prizemin promises, including people to play traditional Russian games with children. “We’ll also have a puppet show featuring a very classic Russian fairy tale about a turnip. We’re hoping that this will be something beneficial for the surrounding community, especially in years to come.”
Stop by the Firebird Festival today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the All Saints of Russia Orthodox Church, 3274 East Iliff Avenue; call Prizemin at 720-257-3387 or visit www.rocadenver.org for information.
Sat., Sept. 13, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., 2008
