LEARN ABOUT WHALES IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF WORLD OF WONDER

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014

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IgloosThe word “igloo” is from the Inuit word for “house.” In lands where trees are scarce and snow is plentiful, it makes good sense to build habitats of snow. Igloos are built from bricks of snow and have been constructed for thousands of years by people who live in the far north of Asia, Europe and Canada.

Snow forts and ice castlesSnow forts, like snowmen, are usually made by children for imag-inary fun. But there are always some who have to make things bigger and better. The SnowCastle of Kemi by the Gulf of Bothnia in Finland was fi rst built in 1996. It was a gift from UNICEF and the town of Kemi to the children of the world. Reported to be the largest snow castle in the world, it has been rebuilt annually ever since. The area has varied from 42,650 to 65,616 square feet (13,000 to 20,000 square meters). The castle includes a snow stage, snow res-taurant, snow hotel, snow chapel and a snow play land.The fi rst documented ice palace was built in St. Petersburg, Rus-sia. It was commissioned in 1740 by the Empress Anna Ivanovna as a cruel joke. She had the majes-tic ice house created as a stage for an elaborate wedding (which was forced upon a member of her court and a servant). The bride and groom were under guard and compelled to spend their wedding night in the frozen mansion.Many ice palaces and ice hotels have been built and rebuilt since.

SOURCES: World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Inc.; The History of the Snowman by Bob Eckstein; www.icesculptingtools.com; www.wintercities.com; http://icecubicle.net; www.hoteldeglace;http://breckenridgeskirental.wordpress.com

By Laurie Triefeldt

SnowmenAlthough people havelikely been makingsnowmen since prehistoric times, theearliest known images of snowmen date back to the Middle Ages. By the Victorian era, the snowman had become a popular symbol of the holiday season. In the 1950s, Gene Autry’s hit song “Frosty the Snowman” made snowmen even more famous. Today, snowmen remain one of the most beloved and best-selling holiday icons, de-picted in amazing variety on winter home decor.A typical European and North American snowman is made with three large snowballs. A carrot makes a good nose, and stones or chocolate cookies can replace the Victorian tradition of coal for eyes and buttons. Tree branches are sometimes added for arms. A hat and scarf complete the outfi t.In Asia, snowmen are usually built with two snowballs. In Japan, snowmen are called “yuki daruma,” named after the round shape of the Daruma doll.Fluffy snow is not a good medium for making snowmen. The snow needs to be moist and suitable for packing. The snowballs are made simply by rolling them across the snow until the right size is reached, then loaded one on top of the other. Snow is heavy, so if the head is too big, it may be dif-fi cult to lift onto the body.

Since prehistoric times, people in extreme northern latitudes have been building habitats in snow and ice. Winter snow is a free and renewable resource and a good insulator, but in more temperate

regions, the spring thaw will melt it away. At some point in time, people began to create artistic forms of snow and ice, from the

simple snowman to elaborate castles and fanciful ice sculptures.

This huge snow castle was made for China’s Harbin

International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

Inuit man

Carving ice sculpturesBefore ice could be manufactured on a large scale, people harvested ice from lakes, rivers and fl ooded fi elds. The ice was cut it into blocks and stored. The Chinese were carving ice lanterns as early as the 1600s.Today, carving art from ice is popular at win-ter carnivals and as decor for fancy parties and weddings. Modern carvers use power saws, grinders or even computerized lathes and routers to make their creations.

Winter festivalsMontreal built ice palaces for its Winter Carnival every year between 1883 and 1889. Today, the city hosts several winter carnivals. Québec City has hosted a winter carnival since 1894. It is one of the largest and lon-gest-running winter carnivals in the world. St. Paul, Minn., has been building ice pal-aces since 1886.In 1897, Russia hosted the International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.The Winter Carnival at Michigan Techno-logical University began in 1922, and is one of the largest annual winter festivals in the United States. Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950 and today attracts millions.Started in 1963 as a winter garden party, the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival has become the largest ice and snow festival in the world.For 40 years, Queenstown, New Zealand has been holding its Winterfestival in June.Since 1989, Fairbanks, Alaska, has hosted the annual World Ice Art Championships.The Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colo., began in 1990.Zehnder’s Snowfest in Frankenmuth, Mich., has been held since 1992.

Located just outside Québec City, the Hôtel de Glace fi rst opened in 2001. This hotel is generally open for guests and visitors from January until March.

Snow sculptureA natural evolution of the simple snowman,

snow sculpture tends to be more advanced, requiring a variety of hand tools such as

shovels and saws. The sculptures are usually carved from a single, densely packed block

of snow, usually 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.5 m) high, but some have reached

more than 600 feet (182 m) high.Many northern towns host

winter festivals that include snow sculpting events where visitors can

watch participants compete.

Snow sculp-tures at the

Breckenridge International Snow Sculp-ture Champi-onship begin

as 10’ x 10’ x 12’, 20-ton

blocks of compacted

snow.

According to the Guiness World Book of Records, the largest snow sculpture was built in 2007 for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. This Olympic-themed landscape was constructed by a team of 600 sculptors from 40 different countries.

Snow sculpture of a resting lion at the Québec Winter Carnival 2005

Snow appears to be white, but it is actually transparent. The crystals act like prisms — breaking up the light into the entire spectrum of color — making the snow appear white, or sometimes blue.

In 1892, an ice sculpture of a swan was used to display a new dessert.

Depending on the temperature of its environment, an ice sculpture can last hours or months.