February 05, 2022

Of Ice and Snowmen


Of Ice and Snowmen
Michelangelo, but make it ice.  Pexels, Chait Goli 

The Snow and Ice in Moscow international festival is certainly a sight to see. The festival takes place annually from January 2nd to February 28th. Sculptor teams from Italy, Finland, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Russia come together to create brilliant works of art in real-time, for all attending to see. The Russian team of artists specifically represents 23 different cities across Russia such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, Sochi, Kargopol, and Ryazan

The participating teams may create snow sculptures, ice sculptures, or snowmen that represent true works of art. There is a snow and ice exhibition where sculptors create pieces in real-time, beginning with just a block of ice. There is also a snow fan zone where the regions of Russia are represented through 6-meter-tall snowmen. Attendees can even enjoy a Disney exhibition as artists recreate characters from popular Disney shows and movies such as Moana, Mickey Mouse, and Frozen. Just to add to the fun, there are street theatres with professional theatre actors putting on performances. 

Want to get hands-on? Snow sculpture training sessions are even offered at the festival, free of charge. The festival is open from 11:00 to 21:00, and information from the events program can be seen on the festival website.

The only downside? The works aren't meant to last as the seasons change.

You Might Also Like

Frozen Traditions, The Epiphany Swim
  • January 28, 2022

Frozen Traditions, The Epiphany Swim

Religious or not, January 19th marks the day in which thousands of Russians dunk themselves in freezing waters for the annual Epiphany swim.
Get Your Freeze On
  • December 04, 2021

Get Your Freeze On

Winter is here, and ice swimmers are diving in across Russia.
Death of a Snowman
  • January 08, 2021

Death of a Snowman

Hooligans struck a collection of over 200 snowmen in the town of Kaluga, an act of gruesome vandalism.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955