National Snowman Burning Day

If you’re tired of the cold freezing winters and wish for it to be spring already, then National Snowman Burning Day is the holiday just for you. Each year, people burn snowmen as part of a long tradition to say goodbye to winter and welcome the fresh dew of spring.

Why snowman burning? Read up on the history of this quirky holiday and learn how to celebrate it here at Days of The Year, the website that celebrates all holidays big and small.

History of National Snowman Burning Day

For those curious, snowman burning is exactly as it sounds; it involves burning snowmen. The tradition began back in March of 1971 when National Snowman Burning Day was first celebrated at Lake Superior State University (LSSU) by the Unicorn Hunters, a campus club that focused on removing unnecessary words from the English language.

Although the club doesn’t exist anymore, the idea was inspired when some of the members of the club visited the ‘Rose Sunday Festival’ in Germany, where they saw the mayor passes through the town with a straw snowman.

According to reports, if the children have been well-behaved, studied hard and obeyed their parents, the mayor orders the straw snowman to be burned.

Finding inspiration from this event alongside experiencing the ends of a cold harsh winter in Michigan, the club began the tradition of burning snowmen based off of the rumor that the rising smoke rising from the fire would ward off blizzards and usher in spring-like weather.

After capitalizing off of the event, it became the university’s long-lasting tradition for over decades to welcome the coming of spring. The snowmen they use today are made out of wood, paper destined for the recycling bin, along with some straw, wire and some paint, standing up to 12 feet tall.

In 1992, it was reported that the event was canceled due to environmental concerns. However, after the push from the public, the event was allowed again as part of Michigan tradition to keep the snowmen burning.

How to Celebrate National Snowman Burning Day

Celebrate National Snowman Burning Day by creating your own straw snowman to burn. Make sure that during this day, you do it with safety in mind. By burning the small snowman, you’ll welcome the coming of spring and say goodbye to the cold harshness of winter.

If you would rather see a larger version of the burning snowman, head on over to LSSU’s snowman burning festival and watch the snowman burning while having lots of fun.

Share this holiday on social media using the hashtag #snowmanburningday if you think this holiday is interesting and let your friends and family know what day it is today.