A fantasy city made of ice and snow lights up the night at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival.
People around the world hold festivals for many reasons. Some festivals celebrate an event in history. Others celebrate famous people or special places. In northeastern China, the people of Harbin hold a festival to celebrate the winter season.
The city of Harbin is known as “Ice City.” In winter, temperatures there stay way below freezing. Each year, the city holds the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The festival starts on January 5. The length of the festival depends on how long the icy cold weather lasts. Sometimes the festival goes on for a few months.
Artists come from around the world to take part in the festival. They turn blocks of ice and snow into giant statues, slides, and buildings. Some artists’ creations are more than 100 feet high! This year, there is even a snow statue of the Korean pop star PSY.
Thousands of lights make the ice creations glow. Pagodas, castles, palaces, and statues of fairy-tale characters light up the night. There are so many large buildings made of ice. It would be easy for someone to think that the festival is a real city.
The people of Harbin have been holding the festival since 1963. Today, it is one of the largest winter festivals in the world. More than one million people visit it each year.
Image credit: ©AP Images
Related Link
- Photos of the Ice and Snow Festival
See more photographs of the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival at the NBC News PhotoBlog.
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