Snowman
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A snowman is a figure made of snow , the shadow of which represents a person. Normally a snowman consists of three differently sized, stacked snowballs , which represent the lower and upper torso and the head. The face is usually made of pebbles or pieces of coal as eyes, a carrot or twig as a nose and several small pebbles as a mouth. Often a snowman is also given a pot or bucket as a hat on his head. Some also decorate the snowman with a scarf. Smaller snowballs are attached to the sides to represent the arms and possibly to hold a brush. Sometimes a branch is stuck into the snow globe for each arm. A snowman can be very small, but it can also be several meters high, depending on the number and size of the snow globes.
history
In the Middle Ages , a figure with this name was still completely unknown. The oldest literary evidence for snow sculptures is from the 16th century, for example from Shakespeare . The snowman only became popular in the 18th century. In 1770 it appears for the first time as a term in a children's song book by Christian Felix Weisse (1726–1804) in Leipzig . Old pictorial representations show him as a personified winter in a rather threatening, oversized shape, with a grim expression and a threateningly raised broom, according to a copper engraving by Daniel Chodowiecki .
In the 19th century the attitude towards winter gradually changed , which no longer seemed just harsh and full of privation. Pictorial representations of winter now increasingly included sledding, ice skating and snowmen, which became popular children's book motifs in the Biedermeier period . The shape became more spherical, the appearance much friendlier. Around 1900 snowmen also appeared as figures for the Christmas tree.
At the end of the 19th century, the image of a friendly winter symbol was strongly influenced by the growing popularity of postcards. Postcard publishers discover the snowman as a motif for Christmas and New Years greetings. Around the same time, the advertising industry is also increasingly using the snowman for its own purposes.
On January 18 the World Day takes place the snowman. The date was inspired by the shape of the stick, a 1 , and the snowman, which is similar to the 8 . In January it is usually cold enough to celebrate snowmen and their day.
Building a snowman
A snowman is usually built with damp snow, so that it sticks and the balls roll. Subsequent freezing is considered beneficial so that the thawed surface of the snow globe freezes again and gives the snowman more stability. If not enough water melts, a watering can is used to help.
In addition to the classic snowman, other figures, animals, houses, snow lanterns are also made in the same or similar way.
The Japanese village of Shiramine in Ishikawa Prefecture is known for its snowman constructions. Every year at the beginning of February, the residents of the village are encouraged to build their own snowman.
reception
Special postage stamp
The Federal Republic of Germany paid tribute to the figure of the snowman with a 60-cent 'Snowman' stamp. The design comes from the designer Peter Kohl. It was first issued on November 3, 2014.
Movies
- The Snowman (1944) , cartoon by Horst von Möllendorff and Hans Fischerkoesen from 1944
- A snowman for Africa , DEFA film from 1977
- The Snowman (1982) , UK cartoon from 1982
- The Snowman (1984) , German adventure film from 1984
- Jack Frost , US comedy film from 1998
- Olaf the Snowman, supporting character in the film Frozen - Completely unabashed , created by the Frozen (film from 2013, voiced by Hape Kerkeling )
piece of music
Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed the pantomime ballet Der Schneemann when he was eleven .
World record
Cornelius Grätz from Reutlingen set the world record for the largest snowman collection in 2000 with 2099 objects. After the record was confirmed in 2008 (3,025 objects) and 2010 (3,143 objects), it was broken on March 19, 2013 by Karen Schmidt from the American Coon Rapids with 5127 objects. Cornelius Grätz presented his collection a. a. already in museums in Reutlingen , Esslingen am Neckar , Deggendorf , Zons , Minden , Bautzen and Itzehoe . He is also the initiator of World Snowman Day, which has been taking place annually since 2010.
See also
literature
- Raymond Briggs (Illustrator): The Snowman , children's book Bertelsmann, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-570-00618-2 ; Aladin, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-8489-0053-4 , filmed: The Snowman (1982) .
Web links
- World Snowman Day on January 18th
- The Snowman - On the cultural history of a winter hero , special exhibition of the Reutlingen Local History Museum from November 29, 2002 - February 16, 2003
- Website of the snowman collection Cornelius Grätz
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Weisse's poem in an edition from 1807
- ↑ World Day of the Snowman at Kleiner-kalender.de
- ↑ Largest collection of snowmen. Guinness World Records, accessed March 5, 2016 .
- ↑ Cornelius Grätz: The history of the snowman collection. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 20, 2012 ; Retrieved March 5, 2016 .