A snowman is a figure out of snow , which is a vaguely human. Usually one of three differently sized snowman stacked consists snowballs , the lower and upper torso and the head pose. As the face usually are pebbles or pieces of coal for eyes, a carrot or a branch used as nose and mouth as several small pebbles. Often as a snowman will also receive one pot or bucket as hat on his head. Some people also decorate the snowman with a scarf. Smaller snowballs are attached to the sides to represent the arms and possibly to hold a broom. Sometimes a branch for each arm is inserted into the snow balls. A snowman can be very small, but can be several feet high, depending on the number and size of snow globes.

In the Middle Ages, a character of that name was completely unknown. Some of the oldest literary evidence for it snow sculptures from the 16th Century authors such as Shakespeare . Popular was the snowman in the 18th Century. In 1770 he appeared in a Leipzig Children's Songbook for the first time as a concept. Ancient depictions show him as personified in winter rather menacing figure in oversize, his expression grim and menacing raised broom, a copper engraving by Daniel Chodowiecki .

Building a snowman is usually wet with snow, so that it sticks and roll the balls leave. Subsequent freezing is considered low, so that the surface of the thawed snow globes freezes again and the snowman gives more stability. If not enough water melts, is helped along with a watering can.

Besides the classic snowman, other characters, animals, houses, are snow lanterns made ​​in the same or similar manner.

The Japanese village Shiramine in Ishikawa Prefecture is known for its Schneemannbauten. Every year in early February, the residents of the village are encouraged to build their own snowman.

Hands snowman can be represented by two branches , but sometimes things symbolic hands of two small lumps of snow. The "hand" is often given snowman shovel or broom , which are stuck in the snow next to the figure. Sometimes snowman provided with two feet of snow pellets, as it peeks out from under the skirt of his coat. Canon requires that the snowman's nose was made ​​of carrots (carrots are well maintained until the winter in old Russian peasant farms), but the reality of modern conditions often used more available stock materials (stones, sticks, pieces of coal ), which meant, and other features. On the head of a snowman sometimes put a bucket . In Russian fairy tales and Christmas cartoons often acts as a companion of Santa Claus .

One of the biggest snowman rolled up in February 1999 in the town of Bethel, State of Maine . He was named "Angus, King of the Mountain" in honor of Angus King, who was then governor of Maine. Snowman was 35 meters tall and weighing more than 4,000 tons.

It is assumed that in Russia snowmen worshiped the spirits of winter, and that to them, and offered to ask for help, mercy, and reduce the duration of colds. Perhaps, therefore, the "hand" was attached to a broom snowman - so he could fly up to the sky. It is possible that in Russia once believed that the air is populated by celestial maidens, commands fog, clouds, snow, and so in their honor were held solemn rituals, including sculpting snowmen. Rather, snowman (snow woman) is an ambivalent figure in the archetypal structure of the myth.