When winter lands with a vengeance, Americans moan and groan. In China, it’s an excuse for a festival!
Celebrating its 30th year, the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has pulled out all the stops. Here are some amazing photos (posted on Slate), as well as a video clip with some background information.
More great photos can also be found here.
(Warning – shameless plug) Then there’s the St. Paul Winter Carnival going strong now for 125 years which has featured Harbin ice artists and their works. So, if you weren’t able to have the Total Polar Vortex Experience or if Harbin is a bit far, drop on in at the end of January! From the winter carnival website: ” In addition to showcasing Saint Paul, the (founding) business leaders wanted to disprove a New York newspaper reporter who had described their beloved city as “another Siberia, unfit for human habitation in the winter.” A personal favorite event is the hunt for the official winter carnival medallion. In a good winter it is buried in one of the many St. Paul Park properties. Participants suss out it’s location from a series of clues in the local newspaper and individuals and teams turn into roving bands digging and prodding in a variety of possible spots night and day until bringing it to light. It’s worth 10 grand to the lucky finder/s! You’ll find St. Paulites are definitely a community of ‘cold hands – warm hearts’!