SAULT STE. MARIE, MI— Snow may still blanket the Upper Peninsula, but Lake Superior State University celebrated the spring equinox by burning a snowman Monday.
It’s a 52-year tradition that includes setting fire to a skeleton of wood, straw, wire, paint, and paper. Festivities began with poetry readings about this year’s theme of “stress release.” The rite ended with students from Lake State’s fire science program dousing the flames.
The snowman burning ritual began in 1971 to celebrate the end of winter and mark the start of spring.
