Russian snowmen in PHOTOS: 100 years of fun

In Russian, we have two words for ‘snowman’ – ‘snegovik’ and ‘snezhnaya baba’ (snow-woman); so it can be either male and female. These photos take us on a journey through the past. 

Russian soldiers on the front of World War I have fun dressing a snowman…

… and practice their fighting skills with him.

Here are Soviet kids of the 1960s working together to make a huge snowman.

Putting on the second giant snowball is not that easy!

Can you imagine how this snowman was built? The secret must be even more mysterious than the building of the Egyptian pyramids.

This boy seems to be tired after some serious construction work!

However, a small plain snowman is still a snowman!

Even if the snow is a little dirty… that’s no problem

Decorating a snowman, making his face with some accessories, was always fun.

Creativity and imagination are always key when making a snowman or woman. Russians like to make their snow-woman with the finest features.

Not only kids enjoy this favorite pastime!

Who said that a snowman should look like three balls? You can use any form!

How about a snow crocodile? Or whatever this may be.

And a penguin? This is how a snowman usually looks like when the snow is melting.

Ded Moroz and a perfectly rounded snowman in Soviet Kazakhstan in 1975.

Here are kids of the 1990s and their Cheburashka snowman.

Modern Russians still LOVE making snowmen, and utilize new technologies… for example plastic lids as eyes. 

Snowman parades and contests are organized around the country… Some look a little terrifying.

Others are very fashionable and badass!

Exotic southern snowmen can even be seen in Sochi, the popular Black Sea coast resort. But it seems that this one is calling for help.

This one is not very happy about the broom. Does anyone really make him clean up the snow? 

A fashionable Moscow snowman proves that a carrot serves as a perfect nose.

And how do you like this snow-lady with beads?