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Photos of Mongolian Ice Festival Capture Traditional Winter Festivities

by viralbandit October 12, 2018, 4:04 pm 1.9k Views

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Ice Festival in Mongolia Photographed by Celine Jentzsch

Photographer Céline Jentzsch has a love for travel that is shared through her documentary-style images. Based in France, she traverses the globe to explore cultures and record the encounters with curiosity and empathy. Visually, they have a painterly feel—an art that Jentzsch practiced before becoming a photographer. This background is evident as she chronicles the ice festival on Lake Khövsgöl in Mongolia. The colorful images showcasing the event pay particular attention to the frozen blue water that’s streaked with white fissures deep below the surface like an abstract painting.

The festival was created in the early aughts to encourage winter tourism to the area. Proving the be a joyful time, people participate in ancestral activities like Mongolian wrestling, archery, and shuffleboard. Jentzsch captures the spirit of the event in large-group photos—where people are cloaked in colorful coats and furry hats—as well as individual portraits of the participants as they watch the festivities, socialize, and enjoy being on the ice. Through this format, we feel as though we’re experiencing it with the photographer.

This photo series isn’t the only time that Jentzsch has traveled to Mongolia. In partnership with Photographers of the World, she guides trips to the country—including one to the ice festival in February 2019. To learn more, visit their website.