The Carnival to love winter

The return of the Carnival in 2022 after a previous edition in virtual mode reminded how important this celebration, established for 67 years, is for Quebecers to embrace their northernness.

“It’s important to celebrate winter, to gather in a family atmosphere by celebrating one of the snowiest regions in the world”, says historian Jean Provencher, author of a book entitled The Quebec Carnival, the great winter celebration.

A winter lover himself, he divides his time between his main residence in the Old Capital and his chalet in the Chaudière Valley.

“Quebecers complain a lot about winter, but they also like to have fun; the Carnival is there to reconcile them in their duality,” he laughs.

Many outdoor activities

The winter festival encourages Quebecers to embrace their northernness through numerous outdoor activities.

Last year, journalist and columnist Virginie Gagnon put on her bathing suit and plunged into the snow, all live on the Quebec Carnival YouTube channel.

“I feel like I’m in Cancún right now,” she said to Bonhomme Carnaval, who asked her if she was cold.

She took up the “Snow bath challenge” launched by the organizers to dive into the powder and hold out for at least 5 seconds!

“It was quite festive,” said the young woman a year later in an interview with Newspaper. Her first memories of Carnival go back to her early childhood when she accompanied her parents to the Ice Palace and to the parade in the streets of Quebec.

She was delighted with the return of the face-to-face Carnival, the 68th edition of which ends today.

Although some activities such as the parade were canceled to avoid gatherings, snow bathing was on the program, as were most traditional activities, such as ax throwing and the evening of rigadoon.

In Montreal first…

Remember that the Carnival was first celebrated in Montreal a few years before the first edition in 1955.

“It was because of the lack of snow that the metropolis gave up on it,” explains historian Jean Provencher.

As early as 1951, the Quebec City Council considered setting up a winter festival and it was three businessmen, Louis-Philippe Plamondon, Wilbrod Bherer and Louis Paré who kicked off the event in 1955.

Virginie Gagnon emphasizes that the Carnival has been able to renew itself in recent years, as evidenced by the presence of young people last year.

“I had the pleasure of hosting an evening of music and it was really great to see all these people dancing. For me, it was proof that we were really in a Carnival 2.0”, she enthuses.

◆ Before the pandemic, the Carnival generated revenues of $16 million per year and 254 jobs. The event attracted 532,000 visit-days in 2018, a 50% increase on the previous year.

Bonhomme: a hero and a martyr

Representative of the Carnival, Bonhomme appeared for the first time on January 9, 1955 and has not changed since.

“White as snow, dressed in the red tuque and arrowhead sash of the heroes of our history, Bonhomme embodies the joie de vivre of Quebecers! “, can we read on the official Carnival website.

In the 1980s and 90s, however, the friendly mascot was the target of comedians Les Bleu Poudre, who had fun repeatedly hitting him on the forehead with a cast iron skillet.

And when the magazine McLean’s wanted to illustrate a report on corruption in Quebec, he opted for Bonhomme Carnaval who fled with a suitcase overflowing with dollars.

“Mistreating Bonhomme Carnaval shocked a lot of people,” says Robert Aird, who published the book. The history of humor in Quebec. It was a form of burlesque, a satirical caricature. »

An untouchable icon

Why hit Bonhomme? Because he embodies an untouchable icon, he continues. Humor rarely achieves consensus.

“On the other hand, there is perhaps another level: Bonhomme always keeps smiling despite the blows he receives! »

The Queen and the Duchesses

In 1957, the Quebec region was divided into seven “duchies” represented by a duchess. A contest is held annually to elect the queen from among them. But the rise of feminism put an end to this practice in 1997.

Sainte-Therese Street

In 1960, residents of rue Sainte-Thérèse, in the Saint-Sauveur district, erected numerous monuments of snow or ice. This improvised initiative attracts the curious, giving it a notoriety that will gain in popularity to the point of becoming one of the attractions of the Carnival until 1996. But look no further for rue Sainte-Thérèse, it has been renamed rue Raoul-Jobin.

The torchlight descent

From 1957 to 1996, there was an annual torchlight descent from Quebec to Lac-Beauport.

The canoe race

It consists of crossing the St. Lawrence River by canoe, as a team. The 1957 edition took place in such difficult conditions that only 4 of the 21 teams made it to the finish line. In 1984, the race was suspended due to heavy fog. First only for men, the race welcomed its first women’s team in 1966.

Palaces of Ice and Snow

Gaston Fortier holds the record for architects of Bonhomme’s palaces.

He built 46 of them, including 32 in ice and 14 in snow. Its worst enemy: rain and mild temperatures that modify the properties of frozen water.