iN PHOTOS: Snowmen built with first winter snowfalls in Kamloops, Okanagan

Not a lot of snow has fallen in Kamloops and the Okanagan so far this year, but a dump of the white stuff in early December was enough for some residents to build snowmen.

A symbol of winter all over the globe, the tradition of building snowmen is ancient and is still synonymous with winter fun today.

The first known representation of a snowman is found in a 1380 book called Book of Hours showing a snowman melting beside a fire, according to Oxford Open Learning.

Throughout history, building snowmen has been a way to raise morale in difficult times. In 1511 in Belgium, a snowman festival was organized to help lift spirits during six weeks of freezing temperatures, and in 1870, French soldiers in the Franco-Prussian war made sculptures out of snow inspired by acts of resistance.  

Across the last century, there have been Guiness world records set and reset for the biggest snowman, which is currently held by citizens of Bethel Maine for “Olympia,” a 122-foot snowwoman.

In more modern culture, the snowman has been made into popular characters in movies and comics, and used as tools for advertising. It is a long-established, beloved symbol representing the holiday season and remains an uplifting, outdoor activity for many.