It’s hard to imagine a tradition so old that we don’t really know when or where it began… but that is exactly the case of the snowman. For thousands of years children and adults have been packing snow, rolling it into large mounds and then stacking them to form bodies like their own. They would take hats, coats, sticks, and food to create an anthropomorphic pile of snow.
The definite history of the snowman isn’t perfectly clear, but Bob Eckstein set out to discover the ancestry of Frosty. In Eckstein’s book The History of the Snowman he reveals that the earliest documentation of a snowman was a tiny illustration in the medieval devotional Book of Hours. The Book of Hours was written in 1380 and is currently stored in the National Library of the Netherlands. In the book sitting beside a fire is a snowman wearing a hat. The exact meaning or thought behind this picture is unclear.
During the Middle Ages snowmen were something of a phenomenon. Not only were children making snowmen, but adults were using the figure as a means of expression. Outdoor galleries were set up to display the different artistic takes on snow creation. People would walk about town discussing the merit of each frozen display. In 1494 a young up and coming artist by the name of Michelangelo was commissioned by Piero de’ Medici to create a snowman for the ruler. 17 years later the city of Brussels would use the cheerful tradition to make a point.
The Miracle of 1511 began after the six-week long Winter of Death. The people of Belgium were starving and freezing while the ruling House of Habsburg lived in opulence. 110 satirical and extremely obscene snowmen and snow-women were displayed to decry the unjust treatment of the peasants. A snow-nun seducing a snowman and a naked snow-boy urinating into the mouth of a drunken snowman are just a few of the more outlandish creations. Unfortunately for the people of Brussels – when the snow melted it caused a massive flood.
America was also involved in their own snow covered controversy. The Schenectady Massacre of 1690 is one of the most horrific events in American history. The Dutch Fort Schenectady was a remote settlement that lived in everyday fear of attack. A brutal snow storm pounded that fort and its doors were frozen open. The unfortunate soldiers asked to guard the gates decided to instead build snowmen and dress them as guards. 210 Canadian and Native American soldiers were not fooled. 60 villagers were left dead and the fort was ransacked.
As society progressed the snowman began to take on a more whimsical nature. In 1818 Zurich, Switzerland began celebrating the beginning of spring by blowing up snowmen. This tradition is still alive to this day. On the third Monday of April a cotton snowman is paraded through the city stuffed with dynamite to the center of town where it is destroyed. With the help of Prince Albert and Hans Christian Andersen, the snowman was given its holiday christening. Prince Albert brought the holiday traditions of Germany to England, while Hans Christian Andersen used his story telling ability to further cement the snowman’s mythos.
Many of our famous Christmas traditions come from Germany. The Yule log and the most famous Christmas icon Santa Claus both find roots in Germany. Even Nazi Germany provided holiday firsts. Before Frosty there was Der Schneemann, the story of a magical snowman that gets chased by a dog and eventually melts. The German government and the propaganda machine of the Hitler regime used the cartoon as an example of Germany’s superior artistry.
With the success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jack Rollins, Steve Nelson and Gene Autry made another Christmas classic. Frosty the Snowman peaked at number 7 on the charts in 1950. The musical release coincided with a Little Golden Book released to further propel the marketability of Frosty. In 1954 UPA studios acquired the story of Frosty and created a three-minute short. But in 1969 the good people at Rankin-Bass produced the twenty-five minute classic we know and love today.
Today’s snowmen are often thought of as a fun family activity or a children’s cartoon, but throughout the ages snowmen have played an important role in society. Whether it’s the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan or the 122-foot-tall snowlady of Bethel, Maine these creations made of snow are ingrained in humanity. It seems as long as man has walked this earth and snow has fallen from the sky, we have been compelled to create snowmen.
When winter arrives, the snowman is a symbol that expresses the season’s spirit and brings joy in festivity. Just like the flower blossoms for spring or pumpkin carvings in autumn, the snowman is a very well-known seasonal figure that makes the winter season filled with lightheartedness. When the perfect snowfall arrives, the snowman usually goes right along with it. Balls of snow are piled upon one another and stacked to portray the body of the snowman, and any household items are creatively added to make a seasonal friend accompany your front yard. It takes some effort along with the ideal type of snow to make such a magical being. The history of how this frozen “Forest Gump” originated adds perspective and insight into this traditional winter figure.
To get an exact date of when the first snowman was created can’t be distinguished exactly, but dates of the oldest snowman recorded can be estimated. Bob Eckstein, author of The History of the Snowman, mentions the earliest traces of when the snowman was documented. A manuscript called the Book of Hours depicts a tiny snowman illustrated in the medieval devotion dating back to 1380. He adds how the snowman was a form of entertainment popular during the Middle Ages. Back in the 14th century, snowmen were one of a kind. Children constantly made them, and even adults would use them as a means for creative expression, often represented in galleries where snow sculptures or figures were displayed.
The earliest form of photography of a snowman was captured in 1853 by Mary Dillwyn, a Welsh photographer. Not only is Dillwyn’s the oldest photo of the snowman, but it is also one of the first photographs after the invention of the camera. She wanted to experiment with the new technology, and the snowman was one of the first to be captured. The photograph to this day is stored in the National Library of Wales.
Snowmen have shown up at certain points in history where it may seem unexpected. The “Winter of Death” of 1511 in Brussels, Belgium was a period of prolonged cold and caused much suffering for the people of Belgium. A snowman festival was held to help improve spirits during the numbing six weeks of freezing isolation. Snowmen were made all throughout Brussels and were a moment the citizens could express creative freedom in the midst of a dreadful winter. A total of 110 snow sculptures were placed around the city.
We often don’t give much thought to the backstory of our neighborhood “Frosities”. (But snow sculptures date back many centuries where it is used as a form of folk art and creative expression during the chilly winter months.) The history behind this anthropomorphic frozen being offers insight into the centuries-old tradition of passing the long winter months through the creation of cheerful figures of snow. This winter, should inspiration strike, keep in mind that you are walking in a worldwide tradition dating back centuries as you stack snow and create your own symbol of winter.
From the book The History of the Snowman
The snowman is like a frozen Forrest Gump—look to many of history’s cultural benchmarks, and there you’ll find a forebear of Frosty. It was a snowman who appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the initial silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of folk art during several years of research around the world.
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to stroll through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was commissioned by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to sculpt a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard. Follow these tips to build the perfect snowman.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six weeks of subzero temperatures called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—a spectacular tableaux that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, angry swipes at the church and government. Some were downright pornographic. For the people of Brussels, this was their Woodstock, a defining moment of artistic freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time the Belgians were dealing with damaging floods.
Snowmen also played a part in one of the bloodiest events in early American history, the Schenectady Massacre of 1690. At the time, Fort Schenectady, in what is now upstate New York, was a remote Dutch settlement under constant threat of attack. But the soldiers guarding the gates, which were frozen open, left a pair of snowmen at their post to protect the town when they left to get out of a blizzard. Unknown to them, a contingent of 210 French Canadian soldiers and Native Americans were approaching. Having traveled over three weeks in knee-deep, slushy snow, they were unfazed by the snowmen and invaded the fort, killing 60 villagers. This snowy situation could have been a disaster.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechseläuten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Böögg is stuffed with dynamite and paraded through town by bakers, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen who throw bread and sausages to the crowds. The parade ends with the Böögg being placed on a 40-foot pile of scrap wood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have chimed six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the shorter the combustion, the longer summer is said to be.
Originally Published: November 19, 2018