Quebec Carnival
The largest winter carnival in the world - the Carnaval de Québec or Quebec City Winter Carnival - is an annual celebration in Québec with a wide range of activities, such as night parades, snow baths and concerts. Central symbols of the event are the Ceinture Fléchée (part of Québec's folk costume , a kind of belt ) and the official ambassador - a snowman named Bonhomme Carnaval
History and description
The first large-scale carnival was held in 1894 , more or less to preserve the traditional Mardi Gras festivities that had been very popular in Québec. These celebrations were interrupted by World War I , the Great Depression of 1929, and World War II. After that, between 1945 and 1954, the carnival events only took place sporadically. It was not until 1955 that the city organized this popular festival together with an organizing committee, once a year in February.
The style of Carnival has changed noticeably since the abolition of the beauty queen polls in 1997 and the introduction of spectacular sporting events, such as special hockey games .
An ice sculpture festival carries the main plot of the carnival for three weeks. Ice carvers or snow sculptors from all over the world, individuals or teams, create impressive sculptures in public and thus take part in competitions.
There are numerous athletic and cultural activities on 17 consecutive days, some of them in neighboring towns of Québec. The main carnival venue has over a million visitors every year.