SPARK Winter 2015-2016 | Page 15

Festival Fever iWORLD Brrr! Does the thought of winter make you shiver? There are shorter days and temperatures drop but around the world, many countries host truly exciting events that celebrate our connection with nature. The Sapporo Snow Festival This Japanese festival is famed for its snow and ice sculptures. It started in 1950 when children made statues in a park. Here you can see statues made by teams from all over the world, stretching up to 15 metres high. Hello Kitty, Alice In Wonderland, Star Wars and the cuddly Totoro from the film My Neighbour Totoro are just some of the famous characters. The people of Sapporo take part too, making their own sculptures and ice mazes! Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival Each year over 80 snow huts are made, and children have parties in them. Children toast sweet rice cakes called mochi in these cute buildings. SPARK 15