China, the fourth largest country in the world is among the top most and the favorite tourist destinations. The country is also known as the flowery Kingdom because of the existence of a large variety of fruits and flowers, from which most of them are not found anywhere else on the earth. Beijing, Shanghai and Xian are the famous cities of China that attract a large number of tourists.
The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, popularly known as the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival, which is celebrated for the last 17 years in the Harbin region of the Republic of China. This 1-month long festival usually starts from the end of December and continues till mid-February, however, the official opening ceremony of the festival is on 5th January. It is the world’s biggest ice festival that attracts visitors from different corners of the world. The major highlight of this festival is the unique sculptures made up of ice that are decorated with sparkling lights that make it a wonderful piece of art. This colorful festival started in 1963 and has now become a popular event globally with a record of 15 million visitors annually.
Attractions of the Festival
The Harbin International Ice festival consists of 4 theme parks that exhibit the creative sculptures carved with ice and decked up with illuminating lights. Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo, Harbin Ice and Snow World, Songhua River Ice and Snow Harbin Valley and Zhaolin Park Ice Lantern fair are the major theme parks organized during the festival that display vivid creations of various artists. Many activities can be experienced at the festival, including ice and snow carnival, international ice sculptures competitions, ice lantern show, sliding, ice-sailing, sledging, ice hockey, ice football, ice skating, cross field skiing, fishing, swimming, and many more. Each and every part of the festival is filled with joy, enthusiasm and glee.
History
The history of this festival dates back to 100 years ago, during the rule of Qing Dynasty. The local people celebrated Ice Lantern festival by hollowing the ice and putting the lantern lamp into it in the night. The tradition continued for many years till 1963 when the festival got a new phase and name which is currently known as the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
Best Time to Visit
The festival officially starts in January, so visiting it then is the perfect idea as the tourism begins in the city of Harbin at that time and the local areas can also be explored easily. The winters are bitterly cold here so the fun of exploring the art sculptures becomes double.
Essential Tips to be followed:
The festival is supposed to be started from January 5 in 2016 and can be reached easily by booking flights to China. The Harbin Ice Festival has also given rise to the tourism of the country and is an important and vital event that has been renowned globally.
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