Saturday, January 11, 2014

Whitefish Winter Carnival -- Great Times in the Flathead

Its that time of year again.  Great fun at the Whitefish Winter Carnival.  January 25-26 will be the Skiijoring, which is always a good time.  www.whitefishskijoring.com  Check out the web site, as they always have a fun video.

Rider on horseback pulls skier over jumps -- that's Skiijoring!!
 And then there is the Winter Carnival.  There is a "legend" that goes along with the winter carnival which drives all of the activities.  It goes:

Once upon a time, there lived a god named Ullr, who reigned over winter activities in the Nordic regions.  Aiding him were his Prime Minister and Queen, who were skilled in creating the beauties of winter.

King Ullr and his Queen

As time went by, however, his subjects become engrossed in exploring the world and its oceans, and they paid less homage to their god-king and the festivities of their winter season, so Ullr became a god all-but-forgotten, except in dim tradition.

After centuries of brooding and searching the world for a place to rest, Ullr and his two remaining subjects came to the Flathead Valley. So struck were they by its beauty that they decided to settle there and selected the Big Mountain as their adopted home.

Their rest was short-lived as they soon found their home was also the abode of a fierce band of snowmen called Yetis, who attempted to  kidnap their Queen. However, Ullr and his followers  being more agile and resourceful, prevailed and learned to live with only occasional skirmishes with the Yetis.

A "Yeti" - found all over Whitefish
 
Eventually, man invaded the valley with axes, guns and wagons. Ullr, his followers and the Yetis observed these men as they civilized the valley and were alarmed these men began to invade their homes.  Ullr found these men were not aware of his presence, and as he continued to observe these men, he found they not only enjoyed the sports of winter, but referred to Ullr himself as a patron saint of their small celebrations and revelries.

Seeing his chance after centuries of loneliness and self-banishment, Ullr assumed the garb of these men and went among them. The Yetis, however, would have nothing to do with these men  except for attempts to drive them away.  Ullr aided the men in subduing the harassment of the Yetis, became their true hero and Kind, and it was proclaimed that there would be an annual fete at which Ullr and his court would be given the full homage due them.

Now each year the in town of Whitefish, known as Holiday Village, the Yetis, bolder than ever, try to steal the Queen, harass the Prime Minister and interfere with the festivities to assert their right to Big Mountain.

One can see why the Yetis should be sent back to the mountains!!

Ullr and his growing band of followers subdue them and send them fleeing back to their haven in the high valleys beyond the Big Mountain, where they plan their next raid. Ullr again reigns as master of winter sports and frolics along with his Queen and Prime Minister, beloved in the hearts of his loyal subjects.

There are other fun characters that show up at the Winter Carnival.  They include the Viking Divas

Viking Divas at the Penguin Plunge


 and of course, the Penguins

Penguins

And that's the "madness" that sets in during the Winter in Northwest Montana!!!  That and we drink a lot of beer. 

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