Snowman Burning Day falls on 20th March every year and is surrounded by awesome facts about how this day first began.
This special holiday marks the changing of seasons, where we leave winter behind and head towards spring.
How do you burn a snowman?
Good question! And well, to be honest, it’s not an actual snow man.
In fact, the snowmen are made of straw, paper, wood, and wire and are decorated with paint to resemble a snowman.
Over the years they have stood at about 3 meters tall and came in a variety of looks, some were people, depending on what the current events were.
When was Snowman Burning Day first celebrated?
On March 20, 1971, Snowman Burning Day was first celebrated at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) by the Unicorn Hunters – a former campus club.
Their idea of this day was inspired by the ‘Rose Sunday Festival’ in Germany, where the mayor passes through the town with a straw snowman.
If the children have been well-behaved, studied hard, and obeyed their parents, the mayor orders the straw snowman to be burned.
Where do people celebrate?
The facts are that Lake Superior is one of the coldest areas in the country, so burning a snowman, to mark the end of winter is celebrated in a huge way with a festival, hot dogs, burgers, poetry, and the biggest fire they have seen all year.
This traditional celebration is mainly celebrated by American and Swiss citizens.
Although it’s such a great reason to enjoy a day, I’m surprised it’s not celebrated anywhere else!
In 1992, Snowman Burning Day was canceled because of environmental concerns, however, the fact that the public was outraged by this turned into a big deal, with petitions being signed and talk on the television and radio about how the tradition shouldn’t be stopped.
The public citizens won, and the Snowman Burning Day event has been ongoing ever since.
