I'm going to take it up a notch. I decided to continue posting dialy but at ten items at a time. Here my following has dwindled to under ten people (thanks to the faithful stilll here) and I will return to my blog, Today's Snowman (not sure what happened here as I used to enjoy a following of sorts but my snowman blog, which sat static for a year and did nothing, somehow took off and now gets thousands of viewers a post).

_{Click on any image to enlarge}

This guys runs on batteries–his nose lights up, he swivels, and air puffs a Styrofoam ball out of his top-hat. He does other things but I'll leave it at that.

Picturetown Collection © 2007

From a time when snowmen could hold a political office.

 

Moscow, 2007

 

Picturetown Collection © 2007

 

This guy moves pretty fast after wound up with his hat going up and down.

 

Picturetown Collection © 2007

Huge (and heavy) plaster promotional statue for Oertels beer.

 

 

The Böögg

Zurich, Switzerland. For centuries every year the Swiss celebrate the festival of Sechseläuten to celebrate the arrival of spring by blowing up a snowman who on this day, is the evil symbol of winter. The parade lasts a few days and is the largest and most colorful of its kind in Europe with thousands of marchers, over 30 brass-bands, 50 horses, and one Böögg. The Böögg is always the grand marshal and a crucial part of the festivities since he is filled with dynamite. It’s a sacred ritual that dates back to the Middle Ages and remains one of the more interesting ways I can think of to usher in spring. Depending how long it takes for the Böögg to combust, determines what type of summer lies ahead.

 

 

Picturetown Collection © 2007

 

Snowman on Parade

Photo from the St. Paul Winter Sports Carnival in 1940, a time when snowmen really ruled the holidays.

 

 

 

_{For more, there was a short interview with me discussing my writing and stuff on the wonderful writer's site Fictionaut.}

_{To read about the start of the snowman project, there's an old post here on Open Salon that goes into that.}