Immigrant traditions stay alive in the Mon Valley
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The search is on for clothes, photographs, wood carvings and other items from the area's Carpatho-Rusyn community.
A new exhibit on the history of the area's Carpatho-Rusyns will kick off Sunday at the Monessen Heritage Museum, the home of the Greater Monessen Historical Society, said John Righetti, president of the National Carpatho-Rusyn Society in Munhall. A public reception will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the museum at 505 Donner Road in Monessen.
The Carpatho-Rusyns who settled in the towns of the Mon Valley were a Slavic people from the Carpathian Mountains of Europe with their own language, culture and costumes. Their homeland lies in the mountains of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and Romania.
They were sometimes called Russians, but that is technically not correct. They also were called Carpathians, Ruthenians and Lemkos, according to Mr. Righetti, who is in charge of collecting items for the display, which will be a joint effort of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society and the Greater Monessen Historical Society.
By 1900, he said, the Monongahela Valley towns had one of the largest Carpatho-Rusyn settlements in America. Most Rusyn immigrants in Western Pennsylvania came from southeast Poland, western Ukraine and northeast Slovakia.
Western Pennsylvania now has 60,000 descendents of Carpathian immigrants, he said.
Many Byzantine Catholic churches and Russian Orthodox churches in the area were founded by Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants, Mr. Righetti said.
Mr. Righetti already has collected photographs from Carpathian church groups and fraternal organizations of the Mon Valley for the exhibit. He also has family photos of the group's early immigrants.
Carpatho-Rusyn costumes will be on display at the historical society, including some worn by a troupe of Carpathian dancers from Monessen, Mr. Righetti said.
Since the immigrants made a living as mountain shepherds in Europe, wool is prevalent in their clothes. He said very colorful patterns and embroidery also are typical.
Ethnic items collected will be supplemented with loaned displays from the National Carpatho-Rusyn Museum in Munhall, which will portray a typical Christmas Eve supper and the costumes of Carpatho-Rusyn carolers.
He said Carpathian carolers went from house to house at Christmas, putting on a play in each neighbor's living room.
First Published March 24, 2011 5:56 am
