Winter Carnival Embraces The Season

by: Susan McKee

When it's cold and dark, the Quebecois schedule a winter carnival.
Leave it to the French – the North American French, that is – to show the world how to have fun in the winter. These descendants of the hardy voyageurs and fur traders who settled in Québec City have learned to laugh at the weather.

Not content with hibernating when it’s cold and snowy and the sun sets in early afternoon, they face the season head on with (what else?) a Winter Carnival. They even stage a dog sled race -- La Grande Virée -- in February through the narrow lanes of the old walled city.

That’s just one of the special events during Carnaval de Québec, which opened Jan. 31 continued non-stop through Feb. 16, 2003. And, I do mean nonstop. The ice palace, official “home” of the carnival mascot, Bonhomme Carnaval, was illuminated all night. The sculptors working with giant snow blocks on the Plains of Abraham were toiling away with their chainsaws and chisels ‘round the clock ‘til the judging took place – and their creative efforts were on display 24/7 thereafter.

Who’s Bonhomme Carnaval? He represents the quintessential snowman, but he’s no American Frosty with top hat and carrot nose. With his Cheshire cat grin, red stocking cap and striped sash, he looks more like a cross between the Michelin mascot and that Staypuft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. Add his “faithful dog Cristal” and the attendant Knuks, and it’s clear that Bonhomme is uniquely Québécois.

The Knuks? Well, they’re jovial villagers from a distant settlement in the Arctic regions who come to Québec City during carnival each year to serve as Bonhomme’s knights. Seems that once upon a time he saved them from their enemies, the Grrrouches…but that’s another story!

In its 30th year, the International Snow Sculpture Competition drew artists from around the world for the chance to work in a unique medium. Each country or province’s team of sculptors got identical blocks of artificially-created snow. Their ephemeral sculptures sparkling under the winter sun lined the entrance to the carnival’s main activity area.

When I arrive at Carnaval de Québec, my first stop always is Bonhomme’s Palace. Each year a different fantasy castle is constructed of snow and ice (complete with stairs, balconies, turrets and other fripperies) usually on the grounds between the walls of the Old City and the Parliament building. This isn’t a dollhouse-size palace, but something rambling and at least two stories tall -- big enough for dozens of tourists to visit at a time. At night, the site is a sound-and-light show, but during the day, it gives off an eerie icy blue aura. A combination work of art, architectural marvel and tourist attraction, Bonhomme’s Palace always a crowd-pleaser.

Across Grand Allée is the entrance to the main events of the carnival, which stretch across the historic Plains of Abraham (where Wolfe defeated Montcalm). To pass through the gates, you need to have an effigy. This is an admission pass unique to Carnaval de Québec. The effigy is a little plastic figure of Bonhomme Carnaval, different in detail for each year (my collection adorns my Christmas tree in December).

Inside the grounds, beyond the snow sculptures, there’s lots more to see and do. Some activities, including rides in horse-drawn sleighs and snowmobiles, cost extra. Others, like the chance to “climb” a glacier made of hard-packed snow, play miniature golf on an all-snow terrain or angle to catch a trout in an ice-covered pond, are included. There’s a Native American encampment, a contingent of voyageur reenacters and a demonstration of old-style maple syrup production.

The first civic winter carnival was held in Québec City in 1894. There were sporadic celebrations after that, but it wasn’t until 1955 that a volunteer group formed to make the event an annual celebration in this most European of all Canadian towns. Now it draws close to a million visitors from throughout North America and around the world, generating more than $36 million a year in economic impact, and involving more than 1,200 volunteers.

Such an event has a long tradition, however. Since the beginnings of the colonial era in North America, the inhabitants of New France carried on the rowdy European custom of getting together just before Lent begins to eat, drink and be merry before the 40 days of austerity begin. (There’s another Mardi Gras celebration in that other French city – New Orleans, but this event is sort of the samba in a flannel shirt.)

Actually, the Québec carnival dates this year were January 31-February 16, and Ash Wednesday was March 5. Never let the facts interfere with a good party!

As in New Orleans, almost all of the fun stuff at the Québec event takes place outdoors. But here, snow and ice take center stage at events ranging from a canoe race across the almost-frozen St. Lawrence to traditional voyageur meals cooked over a campfire.

It can be really, really cold during Carnaval de Québec. One year it was 20 degrees below zero when my plane landed, and never got much warmer. Mounds of snow are a given, and walking on frozen slush is a sometimes harrowing ordeal.

People who live in the frozen north know how to dress to accommodate the frigid weather. They’ve got on heavy socks with their waterproof boots, hats plus scarves, mittens over Thinsulate-lined leather gloves, fur coats and thermal underwear.

A visit to the Carnaval de Québec wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Ice Hotel. Not to be outdone by the fantasy of Bonhomme’s Palace, this is the third winter that a crafty Canadian entrepreneur has used snow and ice to fashion a unique winter experience in North America enclosing about 30,000 square feet of lobby, overnight accommodations, wedding chapel, bar, art gallery, ice rink and more. Although everything including the bed frames and all of the “furniture” in the rooms is constructed of ice, one sleeps atop a pile of reindeer skins on a wooden platform inside a snuggly sleeping bag in a room lit by flickering candles. Almost cozy!

If you want to see it, you don’t have to spend the night. There are regular tours – for a small fee. When I visited the Ice Hotel, I was surprised at how warm it felt inside the structure. Its four-foot-thick walls act as windbreakers and insulate just like a Thermos. Temperatures inside remain constant around 25° (Fahrenheit). During its first season, guests had Port-a-Potties, but this year there’s direct access to heated indoor facilities.

Once you’re in Québec City, transportation to and from the Ice Hotel is available via Sherpa Plein Air shuttle service.

Meanwhile, back at Carnaval de Québec, there are more than 200 activities from which to choose. Spectator sports besides the dog sled race include a soap box derby, snow bath and canoe race. There’s a flapjack breakfast, two night-time parades and a fancy dress ball.

Visitors can go tobogganing or spend the night in a teepee. Nearby there’s skiing (both downhill and cross country), snowshoeing, and ice skating.

I haven’t even mentioned shopping or gallery hopping or visiting one of Québec City’s many museums. And, the entire walled city of Vieux Québec has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

And, what about that canoe race? Once upon a time, canoes and other small boats were the only way to get from one side of the St. Lawrence River to the other – even in the dead of winter. Now, those skills are put to the test in a fiercely contested race. Some years it seems there’s more carrying of the canoes over thick ice than paddling in the water.

I’m always drawn to the St. Lawrence on my visits. One of my favorite excursions during Winter Carnival is a trip across the river on the ferry between Québec City and Levis, on the southern banks. The sounds of the ice floes breaking up and jostling against the prow as the ferry fights its way across are something not likely to be heard in central Indiana. And, the view of Québec City from the deck – with the turreted Château Frontenac towering over both Upper and Lower Town – can’t be beat.

THE DETAILS --

You’ll find more about Carnaval de Québec on its website. If you click on the English-language welcome page you’ll miss the annoying opening music and go directly to information on the event in English.

The Bonhomme Pass gives access to 300 activities and shows at three major sites. This year it cost about $3.27 US for the figurine (my favorite) and $3.93 US for the pin (a collector’s delight). Buy it at the first site you visit and wear it for the rest of your trip.

The Ice Hotel is located on Route Duchesnay in Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, about a half hour’s drive west of Québec City. It opened New Year’s Day, and closed March 31 (unless it began to melt earlier).

Currency alert: $1 Canadian converts to about 65¢ U.S. ATMs are everywhere, but many are networked into either Cirrus or Plus, but not both. Check the logos on the machine before inserting your debit card. You won’t find any $1 bills – the Canadians use coins called Loons instead.