魁北克冬季嘉年华――欢聚一堂乐融融|魁北克冬季嘉年华
时间：2019-01-08 03:19:09 来源：柠檬阅读网 本文已影响 人 
马上就要过春节了！在这一年中最寒冷的日子里，人们似乎热衷于各种各样的庆祝活动。比如，在冷飕飕的魁北克，当地每年都要举行全世界最大型的冬季嘉年华。想见识他们不畏寒冷、从生活中寻找乐子的生活态度，你一定要到嘉年华看看！而在相对较暖的罗马，你会发现原来意大利没有圣诞老人！别担心，意大利人自有其独特的节日迎接新年。
林林总总的庆祝活动，不但温暖了人心，也为漫漫寒冬带来热情的活力。一起加入欢乐的海洋吧！
The party was in full swing[正在积极进行] in our luxury Quebec City hotel when, suddenly, a colourful doll-like creature danced into the room. “Bonhomme! Bonhomme!”
my Quebecois friend exclaimed. White and roly-poly[矮胖的], with a red hat on his head and a reddish sash[腰带] around his waist, he appeared like a living snowman. “Do you like our carnival’s mascot[吉祥物]?” My friend smiled. His question was quickly answered by the merry crowd with their claps.
Bonhomie was my first introduction to the Quebec Winter Carnival. Held in the end of January until mid-
February, it is a fun way Quebecers outwit[以智取胜] the
harshness of winter, transforming the city into a huge
outdoor party.
The first official Quebec Winter Carnival took place in 1955. Nowadays, this festival, held in Quebec City, attracts
one million visitors yearly. The Carnival is now the largest
winter celebration[庆祝典礼] in the world, and has become Quebec City’s third largest industry. More than 1400
volunteers and some 400 activities and shows provide
visitors a festive[喜庆的] experience full of competitions,
concerts, fun, games and food.
Overshadowing[使……失色] all the sculptures is the
Bonhomme Ice Palace, first built in 1955. Five thousand blocks of ice were used, and it has become one of the symbols of the Carnival. At night, the palace becomes the home of a light and sound show.
It features[以……为特色] loud music and flames, which shoot through the palace’s shimmering[闪闪发光] walls in all directions, yet, do not melt even a piece of ice. It is a show, which combines music and fire-like light � a breath-taking dream world for the young. When they tire of fireworks,
visitors can shop inside Bonhomme’s Palace of Ice for
souvenirs[纪念品] from all over the world.
The most colourful part of the Carnival is the brightly lit night parades[游行]. Every year, some half a million people bundle up[使穿着暧和的衣服] and line the snowy streets of the city. The parades feature fantastic floats[彩车], marching bands and many clowns. Even though it was freezing cold � about six degrees below zero � the night that I watched the
parade, I could not believe my eyes when I saw a band of young ladies dressed in kilts[苏格兰方格呢短裙].
During the Carnival, the Plains of Abraham注1, where the British battled the French and conquered Canada, are transformed into a huge winter playground. The entrance to the plains area is edged on both sides by snow sculptures which are fashioned by artists from all over the world. It leads to a field offering dogsled[狗拉雪撬] and sleigh[雪撬] rides, an ice climbing wall, snow slides, and a sugar shack注2.
In addition, there are endless other activities, such as: visitors can visit the Amerindian[美洲印第安人的]
Trail and take the opportunity to spend a night in a
tepee[北美印第安人的圆锥形帐篷]; take a roll in the snow dressed
only in a bathing suit; try exciting snow rafting;
watch famous snow sculptress at work; enjoy a Swiss
culinary[烹饪的] festival; stay in the city’s famous Ice Hotel
for at least one night; learn ice fishing and the
smokehouse[（熏制鱼、肉等的）熏制室] basics; and, last but notleast, watch the legendary International Canoe[独木舟]Race.
Each year when the Carnival is over, some of its
officials, along with Bonhomme, embark on[从事，着手] tours throughout the world. And every year, visitors from around the world increase dramatically.
In early January, when winter drapes[披上] its white
mantle[披风] on Quebec, Bonhomme makes a dramatic return to the city. The mayor hands him the key, and
Bonhomme again reigns[盛行] until the February Carnival is over. There is little doubt that he provides the colour, warmth and excitement to make a visit to the Carnival an unforgettable experience � a great winter sensation[感觉].
派对在我们豪华的魁北克市酒店进行得如火如荼，忽然，一个七彩的、玩偶模样的家伙跳着舞走了进来。“博纳！博纳！”我的魁北克朋友大声喊着。这个活灵活现的雪人满身雪白，圆圆胖胖，头戴一顶红帽，腰间挂着一条红色的腰带。“你们喜欢我们嘉年华的吉祥物吗？”我的朋友笑着说。快乐的人们立刻报以热烈的掌声作为回答。
我在魁北克冬季嘉年华里第一个认识的便是博纳。这个节日在1月底至2月中旬举行――魁北克人用好玩的方式击退严寒的冬日，把整座城市变成一个巨型的户外派对。
首届正式的魁北克冬季嘉年华于1955年举行。现在，这个在魁北克市举行的节日每年都会吸引一百万名游客。它是现今世界上最大的冬季庆祝活动，并成为魁北克市的第三大产业。超过1400名志愿者和400多项活动与表演让游客领略到集竞技、音乐会、乐趣、游戏以及美食于一体的节日风情。
于1955年首次建造的博纳冰宫令其他雕塑相形见绌。它以五千件冰块建造而成，已成为嘉年华的其中一个标志。晚上，冰宫会变成集灯光与声音于一体的表演舞台。
冰宫内音响震撼，火光四射。火焰穿透宫内四周闪闪发亮的外墙，却没有融化掉任何一块冰。这是一场结合了音乐与像火般的灯光的表演――是一个让年轻人心醉神迷的幻想世界。如果对烟火感到厌倦，游客可以到博纳冰宫内逛一逛，购买世界各地的纪念品。
嘉年华中最七彩缤纷的环节要数灯火辉煌的夜间巡游。每年，50多万人穿得严严实实的，列队在市内冰雪覆盖的街道上看巡游。巡游中有漂亮的花车、整齐行进的乐队以及众多小丑。尽管天气非常寒冷――大约零下6摄氏度――看巡游那晚，当我看到一队穿着苏格兰方格呢短裙的女孩时，我简直不敢相信自己的双眼。
嘉年华期间，亚伯拉罕平原（英国人曾经在此与法国交战，并最终占领加拿大）成了一个巨型的冬日乐园。平原入口处两边摆放着雪雕，都是由世界各地的艺术家们雕塑而成的。它一直延伸到一处平地，人们可以在此乘狗拉雪橇和普通雪橇；这里还有攀冰墙、雪滑道和枫糖屋。
除此之外，还有数之不尽的其他活动，比如：游客可以参观“美洲印第安人足迹”，借此机会在圆锥形帐篷里过上一晚；只穿着泳衣在雪地上打滚；尝试一下刺激的雪上橡皮艇；观看著名的女雪雕家进行现场雕塑；享受瑞士美食节；在市内著名的冰酒店至少住上一晚；学习冰上钓鱼以及鱼、肉烟熏的基本功；还有，最后但同样重要的一项活动是，观看久负盛名的国际冰河独木舟比赛。
每年嘉年华结束之后，一些官方代表便会带着博纳开始环球旅游。因此，每年来自世界各地的游客都会急剧增加。
1月初，当冬季为魁北克披上白色的披风，博纳又会戏剧般地回到这个城市。市长交给他一把钥匙，博纳风再次盛行，一直持续到2月嘉年华结束为止。毫无疑问，他带来的色彩、温暖和激情让参加嘉年华成为一段难忘的经历――这将是一次超棒的冬日体验。
注1：亚伯拉罕平原为北美洲东北部一平原，位于加拿大魁北克省南部魁北克市西部边缘，毗邻圣罗伦斯河。1759年七年战争期间曾爆发亚伯拉罕平原战役，结果英国大胜法国，该地区落入英国手中。该平原现为加拿大国家史迹公园。
注2：“sugar shack”或“sugar house”是将从枫树采集的蜜制成枫糖浆的小屋。在加拿大，人们会在枫糖屋里制作类似麦芽糖的东西，即把枫糖倒在雪上，利用枫糖遇冷凝结的特性做成麦芽糖，拿一根木棒把冰上的枫糖拨起来之后卷成球状来吃。
