IMAGINE TAKING A BATH IN THE snow. Imagine taking a bath in the snow in subzero cold. Imagine taking a bath in the snow in subzero cold while hundreds of folks in snowsuits, hats and boots mill around and gawk.
It`s enough to make you shiver.
The traditional polar-bear snow bath certainly sets Quebec City`s Carnaval apart from the the pre-Lenten carnivals in balmier climes. But the bain de neige is not the only event that makes the world`s largest celebration of winter unique.
The bone-chilling temperatures and unpredictable weather conditions give Carnaval here its own inimitable flavor. Carnaval in Quebec City is not for the timid. Only the adventurous need apply. And hundreds of thousands do just that every year, many towing their children behind them in sleds.
Quebec City held its first Carnaval in January of 1894 when a big party stringing together a series of festive occasions helped Quebecers forget the harsh realities of life in an area blanketed with snow six months a year.
The original Carnaval also had another purpose. As with carnivals elsewhere (the word means ”goodbye to meat”), it helped Quebecers prepare for Lent`s 40 days of fasting and abstinence. Carnaval allowed people to feast and frolic with almost complete license, well aware they could atone for any excesses in the days ahead.
After Quebec`s inaugural Carnaval, the celebration was held at irregular intervals until 1954, when it became an annual event. That year the city budgeted $38,000 for the affair. In 1990 Carnaval cost $3 million to stage.
For Quebec City businessmen, it`s a worthwhile investment. The 11-day event pumps roughly $28 million into the local economy and an estimated $46 million into the region.
Despite its sophisticated budget, Carnaval`s essence has not changed. Several of the same spectacles that marked the first Carnaval nearly 100 years ago are still part of the event, including the elaborate parades that open and close the celebration. Today, though, floats for the parade are created in a special Carnaval workshop by 60 part-time artisans employed by the
organization.
Perhaps the most impressive spectacle dating back to the original Carnaval is the lifesize snow palace erected on the grounds opposite Quebec City`s Parliament building. The fanciful structure, which has grown more ornate with the years, is made from 16 million pounds of snow and takes more than a dozen artists two months to fashion.
The palace is the site of Carnaval`s major events and is also the home of Bonhomme, the jovial snowman who first appeared in 1955 and is best described as a cross between Santa Claus and the Pillsbury doughboy. The mascot and his court, which consists of the Carnaval queen and her duchesses, can be sighted at the palace every day.
The palace has gone through quite a few changes over the years. Until 1979 it was constructed entirely of ice. But because of the partial meltdowns that sometimes occur when winter is unseasonably warm, organizers switched to snow. They are now talking about switching back. They`ve come to believe that even though the ice may melt a bit, it still looks good. Snow, on the other hand, conspicuously carries the traces of industrial pollution and acid rain and ends up looking more gray than white.
Whether made of snow or ice, sculpture plays a big role in Quebec City`s Carnaval. Delicate frosty pieces dot the Grand Allee, the elegant thoroughfare that leads to the city`s magnificent stone gates, Porte St. Jean and Porte St. Louis. Right outside the gates, works created at the Carnaval`s International Snow Sculpture Contest capture the eye and the imagination.
Sculptors from more than a dozen nations competed in last winter`s contest, including artisans from Brazil, Hong Kong and Mexico who had never before seen snow. The sculptors fashioned their designs from massive blocks placed around the palace, and they mapped strategy for days before applying the chisel or knife. ”Nobody wants to tip their hand,” explains Quebec television personality Remy D`Anjou, who once served as the man behind Bonhomme. ”They wait until the last day, then work through the night. In the morning, voila!”
Among the 1990 entries was a modernistic piece crafted by a team of Japanese sculptors and titled ”Five Continents.” It consisted of five equal slabs of snow curving slightly to the left. Brazil`s entry was called ”What a Brazilian Dreams About When Lost in the Snows of Quebec” and showed a bikini-clad woman reclining on a beach. The winning creation from France drew raves for what the judges termed ”audacity.” A compilation of snowy circles and triangles, it had a gigantic girth that rested on a tiny base, giving the impression that the work was suspended in air.
A home-grown version of the snow-sculpture competition unfolds on a narrow residential street not far from the palace. Closed to traffic during Carnaval, Rue Ste. Therese gives the visitor a feel for the history and tradition of the event. Since the first modern Carnaval, residents of Rue Ste. Therese have sculpted their own snowy designs right in their front yards. Birds, wolves and Beluga whales lined the street for years, drawing so much attention that not long ago Carnaval organizers decided to spiffy up the place. Now a professional sculptor aids the residents with their work.
Walk a few blocks down Rue Ste. Therese, and you`ll hit the 130-year-old home of the street`s most famous occupant. He is Lionel Faucher, more commonly known as Ti-Pere, and his residence is a repository of Carnaval history. Faucher, who is 79, opens his home to visitors only during Carnaval, when more than 10,000 folks amble through. The late Grace Kelly and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau have been Faucher`s guests.
What the famous and the not-so-famous see on every inch of wall and ceiling space in Ti-Pere`s basement is an unparalleled collection of Carnaval memorabilia. The evolution of the Bonhomme character can be traced here. Ti- Pere saved every Bonhomme commemorative pin ever issued. (Up to a few years ago, those caught without a pin were taken to prison in the palace). Ti-Pere has photos of every queen and her court, pictures of the snow palace when it was made of ice, pictures of every dignitary who has visited his home and newspaper clips documenting Carnaval through the years. He also has a collection of canteens and hollow plastic canes used over the years to carry Carnaval`s most famous drink: caribou.
Indeed, a caribou bar sits in a corner of Ti-Pere`s basement, established with the special blessing of the Quebec liquor board. At Ti-Pere`s, a cane full of caribou costs $5.50 (Canadian). A cane holds 15-ounces of the potent brew, which is a mix of grain alcohol and cheap red wine.
Canes proliferate on the streets during Carnaval, but they don`t always hold caribou. Many folks prefer to bring their own bottle and dump the contents into the cane for easy transport.
In tandem with the red plastic canes sold at Carnaval, vendors sell red plastic bugles of the same length. When Carnavalers blow the bugles in unison, as they often do, it seems as though a herd of moose is ready to storm the city gates.
Those who want a break from the cold can find it in many forms. In recent years the hotels have gotten into the act, sponsoring an exotic hairstyling competition, a fashion show and a Mardi Gras costume ball. There are also movies for the kids.
But not everyone wants to party during Carnaval. A few folks actually shun the fun and go to work. Take the lumberjacks in the log-splitting contest. Burly fellows, they build a sweat in the subzero cold by hacking solid aspen stumps with an ax.
Then there are the hardest workers of all, those who harbor their strength and courage for the very last day when they hop into canoes and race across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec City to neighboring Levis. It`s not exactly a joy ride. Since the river is partially frozen, there`s very little rowing involved. Instead, the five-person teams alternately push, pull, haul and steer their 250-pound vessels across and around the ice floes, battling the current while carefully avoiding any slushy traps that might plunge them into the freezing waters. The winners usually make the round trip in under a half hour.
The canoe race, like much else at Carnaval, has its roots in the area`s rugged past. The ice canoe was the only form of winter transportation in the 1800s and early 1900s, when the boats were carved from the trunk of a huge pine tree. While the canoes today are made of fiberglass, the elements they confront on the mighty St. Lawrence have not changed.
And confronting the elements is what differentiates the Carnaval de Quebec from its sisters around the globe. Carnaval de Quebec is not only a celebration. It`s a challenge.
CARNAVAL 1991
THE CARNAVAL DE QUEBEC 1991 theme could not be more appropriate. ”Catch the Winter Spirit” says it all.
Carnaval 1991, which runs from Feb. 7 through Feb. 17, aims to get more spectators involved in all the winter activities that make Quebec City such a fabulous cold-weather resort. Carnaval organizers are adding a number of outdoor sports to the agenda designed to get everyone moving: skiing, sledding and ice skating will be available free to the general public.
Those more inclined to the great indoors might consider the elegant balls that are part of the celebration. Reserve a spot early. By December, the balls are completely sold out. The Queen`s Ball takes place the first Friday of Carnaval at the magnificent Chateau Frontenac, a stone castle overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It can accommodate 300 people at $150 a ticket. The Bal du Mardi Gras is Tuesday at the Loews Concorde. This costume ball is so impressive that New Orleans sends its Carnival queen to attend. Tickets are $100 per person.
Be sure to reserve lodging early. There is a minimum two-night stay for reservations at the Frontenac. There are many name hotels (the Hilton is closest to the action) and dozens of bed-and-breakfasts scattered around the city.
Two gala parades book-end the Carnaval, and they are held on consecutive Saturday nights. The first winds through Bas Ville (Lower Town), and the second snakes through downtown, site of the provincial capital`s government buildings and its landmark stone gates.
Whatever else you do to prepare for Carnaval, remember to dress warmly. That means head-to-toes. Best bet: Get a pair of lined rubber boots that won`t fail you when you`re standing on an icy patch of sidewalk watching the parades. Another tip: Forget vanity. The happiest people at Carnaval seem to be those dressed in all-in-one ski suits; they look nice and cozy.
To make reservations for the balls, or for more information on any aspect of Carnaval, contact the Carnaval office at 418-626-3716.
