Saint Paul Winter Carnival

The tradition & historical record

The Saint Paul Winter Carnival is an annual festival in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ¹

In 1885, a New York reporter wrote that Saint Paul was, "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation" in winter. Offended by this attack on their city, the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce decided to prove not only that Saint Paul was habitable but that its citizens were very much alive during winter, their most dominant season. A Winter Carnival had been held over the border in Montreal with an ice castle in 1885. With a model to draw upon, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival was created in 1886. It was followed by carnivals held in 1887, 1888 and 1896. The Carnival was held again in 1916 and 1917. There was another lapse until 1937 when they continued through 1942. WWII interrupted life in general, but the Carnival resumed in 1946. It remains an annual event today. ¹

In 1886, King Boreas the First was crowned and the first Winter Carnival commenced. This festival also featured an ice palace, an elaborate creation made from the ice of Minnesota lakes, which has evolved into an internationally recognized icon for Saint Paul's festival. The event featured many activities, including bobsledding and ice horse-racing. The former name uniquely and directly describes the activity as frozen lakes were used as race surfaces for sled-carts. The organizers say the event also served to bring the community closer together, including members of nearby Native American tribes. Many members of local tribes would ride into the city and pitch tents to participate in the Winter Carnival. 2021 had a drive-thru carnival and saw strict measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, such as wearing masks & social distancing. ¹

The Winter Carnival has grown over the years. The Royal Family makes over 400 appearances annually and participates in community activities around the Twin Cities Metro Area and the state of Minnesota. As a community organization, the members of the Royal Family and Vulcan Krewe travel throughout the US and Canada visiting different communities and engaging in various festivals. They aim to promote community awareness and volunteerism and to support charitable causes. Saint Paul's George Latimer Central Library maintains a dedicated Winter Carnival collection in its St. Paul Room, including scrapbooks dating from 1937, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, programs, buttons and other ephemera that researchers and genealogists use throughout the year. The Winter Carnival is held during January each year. It was not held during World War II out of respect for the conflict abroad. Currently the Winter Carnival runs the following events as part of the celebration: ¹

Royal Coronation Grand Day Parade Jigsaw Puzzle Competition (the largest in the nation) Hotdish Competition Family Day Frozen Family Fun Night Snow Sculpting Ice Sculpture Carving Klondike Kate Cabarets Historic Art Exhibit Torchlight Parade Winter Carnival Music Series Ice Bars Fire & Ice Run (5k distance and more) Beard Growing Competition ¹

The Royal Family represents the Winter side of the Carnival Legend and is selected through each character's fraternal organization. In the case of the Queen of the Snows and the four Wind Princesses, a multi-month candidacy program including service events, interviews and appearances. The selection of the five Royal Ladies and official transition from one Royal Family to the next is announced at the Royal Coronation event. The Royal Family consists of: ¹

King Boreas (The true king of the St Paul Winter Carnival) Prime Minister Aurora, Queen of the Snows Captain of the King's Guard Sergeant of the King's Guard Titan, Prince of the North Wind North Wind Princess Euros, Prince of the East Wind East Wind Princess Zephyrus, Prince of the West Wind West Wind Princess Notos, Prince of the South Wind South Wind Princess A minimum of four King's Guards; one each assigned to guard one of the four princesses. Klondike Kate ¹

The Vulcan Krewe represents the warm side of the Winter Carnival Legend. The Krewe is selected by the Order of Fire and Brimstone along with the new Fire King, Vulcanus Rex, each year. Each year a new Krewe is hand selected through an application and interview process. Selected Krewe members must complete a five-year commitment to become a full-fledged member of Fire and Brimstone. After a member's fifth year, that individual is then eligible to be a Fire King. ¹

Vulcanus Rex (The Vulc) - The True King of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival. Of all the members of the Krewe, he is the only one to wear red and black (all others wear only red). General Flameous (Flame) - The Army Commander and Keeper of the flame. Legend says that if the flame dies, the Fire King dies and it will be winter forever. The Duke of Klinker (Klinker) - The Fire King's aide-de-camp and the herder of the flock. The Klinker is the longest burning ember. The Count of Ashes (Ash) - The raiser of sleeping spirits. The "swinger" of the Krewe. The Prince of Soot (Sooty) - The recorder of past memories. The "ladies' man". Usually the oldest member of the Krewe. Baron Hot Sparkus (Sparky) - Commander of the Lancer’s Legion and the Stoker of Emotions. The "spark plug" of the Vulcan Krewe. Count Embrious (EB) - The Fire King’s Chancellor of the Exchequer. The young and romantic one. Usually the youngest member of the Krewe. Grand Duke Fertilious (Ferty) - Minister of Propaganda and the propagator of progeny. Usually the member with the most children. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Saint Paul Winter Carnival”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Saint Paul Winter Carnival is annual festival in Minnesota, United States, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²