Ice Sculptures in Central Square

Right before the New Year each year, many cities in Russia make ice sculptures in their central square as well as places for children to play on. This year we didn't have a lot of snow, so they couldn't make a snow slide as usual. Instead they brought in metal slides. Zarina and Alexander had fun sliding on them.

Alexander ready to go down.
It was quite foggy, so the picture below is a little spotty, but this is the way we dressed up to go out. It was a bit chilly after a while. Nicolas really enjoyed his ride on the sled. He slept for a little while. He loves being outside even if he can't move when he's all dressed up!
Zarina peeking over the top of the ice castle.
Zarina & Alexander inside. Valera had to lift them up into it. They loved it!
There were a few big piles of snow for the children to climb on. They had also made a big snow house.
A tight squeeze!
Valera's father just came back from a trip he took to Siberia to visit his brother who lives there. Below are some pictures from the center of Krasnoyarsk where he was.
Above is a girl with a castle behind her. Below is a cannon and to the right a lighted bell. These are replicas of the tsar cannon and bell in Moscow.
Below is a replica of the Kremlin in ice. They don't do such fancy sculptures here in Yoshkar-Ola, but throughout Russia you will find them around the New Year. They are beautiful!
The following is a short video clip of the big Christmas tree they have in the center. They also had an ice sculpture of a tiger. People put coins on it for good luck. (This year is the year of the tiger.) Many people gather around the tree to bring in the New Year. They also give rides on sleighs pulled by horses.