How did the art of ice carving start?
As the story goes, once upon a time a czarina in Russia was enamored with a local man who was in love with a woman from his village. As was the custom of the day the man went to the czarina to get her permission to wed the woman he loved. The czarina was not pleased by the request, and decided to show her displeasure by agreeing to let the couple wed only if they would spend their wedding night in a castle made of ice. She was sure this would cool their passion for each other, and/or ruin their wedding night. Much to her surprise love won out and the couple agreed to her condition. The czarina had her army cut blocks of ice from Lake Bicall, and build a house of ice complete with furnishings including tables, chairs and a bed for the newlyweds. The couple was married, spent their wedding night in the house of ice, and lived happily ever after. However, word spread about the strange house of ice, and eventually people from all over Russia and Europe visited the site to gaze at the first
