The Hair Freezing Contest in Canada is a quirky winter celebration that has gained immense popularity over the years. The competition occurs at the Eclipse Nordic Hot Springs and encourages participants to use their creativity to create frozen hairstyles. The event started with just a few dozen people but quickly became a hit, with participants vying for minor prizes for the most impressive icy hairstyle. In 2020, the competition even set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of people participating in a frozen hair contest.
The contest requires temperatures of at least minus 20 Celsius (or minus 4 Fahrenheit) to freeze the hair quickly and maintain the icy look. Participants dip their heads in the hot springs, where the water is around 42 degrees Celsius (about 108 degrees Fahrenheit), before emerging into the chilly air. They then use their imagination to creatively style their hair, from wild spikes to tangled mops.
However, climate change is now affecting the Hair Freezing Contest. As temperatures rise, the competition is becoming more challenging to host. The magic temperature needed to freeze hair is getting harder to achieve, and if the ice on someone's hair melts due to the hot spring's vapour, the hairstyle will be ruined.
Canada is one of the countries where climate change is happening rapidly, with the north experiencing a temperature rise three times that of the rest of the world. The warming is occurring twice as quickly in the south of the country. These changes in temperature and weather patterns are affecting ecosystems and wildlife in the area, as well as cultural practices like the Hair Freezing Contest.
The loss of such cultural practices is a sad reminder of climate change's threat to our planet. As we continue to see the effects of global warming, we must take action to mitigate its impact and preserve the unique traditions and practices that make our world so rich and diverse.
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