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Enjoy this curated selection of theme-related dances for celebrations and holidays, or find a dance associated with a special calendar day, or EVEN your own birthday!
Photo by Alexey Kljatov
Feb 9
Snowflake Day
Where the Snowflake Reposes
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Away, ye gay landscapes, ye gardens of roses,
In you let the minions of luxury rove;
Restore me the rocks where the snowflake reposes,
Though still they are sacred to freedom and love:
Yet, Caledonia, beloved are thy mountains,
Round their white summits though elements war;
Though cataracts foam ’stead of smooth-flowing fountains,
I sigh for the valley of dark Lochnagar."
~ Lochnagar, George Gordon, Lord Byron, 1807
Lord Byron considered himself “half Scots by birth, whole by upbringing” and purportedly had a slight Scottish accent throughout his whole life. Many of his contemporaries also considered him Scottish. Even in Greece, most of his closest friends had strong connections to Scotland.
His attachment to Scotland was deeply personal. As a child, he spent formative years in Aberdeen and visited the Highlands, where the rugged landscape left a lasting impression. Lochnagar grew from those early experiences—the mountain symbolizing the wild beauty and emotional intensity he forever associated with Scotland.
Inspired by a line from this poem, this John Drewry 3 couple jig for 4 couples emulates the diagonal structure of some ice crystals as well as falling meandering path of a snowflake before it comes to rest.
Today marks a special date to contemplate the snowflake, the birthday of another man with an intense curiosity about the form of a single reposing snowlake, Wilson A. Bentley, later known as "Snowflake" Bentley!
Born on February 9, 1865, in Jericho, Vermont, as a teenager, Bentley received a microscope from his mother, and he quickly became captivated by the intricate designs of snow crystals. Determined to preserve what melted in moments, he spent years experimenting before successfully attaching a camera to his microscope in 1885. This breakthrough allowed him to photograph individual snowflakes in extraordinary detail—something no one had accomplished before.
Over his lifetime, Bentley captured more than 5,000 snow crystal images, documenting their remarkable symmetry and variety. His work helped inspire the adage "that no two snowflakes are exactly alike" and laid the foundation for the scientific study of snow crystals. 💙 🤍 💙 ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Where the Snowflake Reposes
Wilson Alwyn “Snowflake” Bentley (1865–1931) was an American farmer, self-taught scientist, and pioneer of photomicrography whose life’s work revealed the astonishing beauty and individuality of snow crystals. Born on February 9, 1865, in Jericho, Vermont, Bentley grew up on a farm where long winters and heavy snowfall were part of daily life.
Fascinated by nature from an early age, he showed particular curiosity about snow. As a teenager, he examined snowflakes under a simple microscope his mother gave him—an unusual and expensive gift that reflected her belief in his scientific interests.
Bentley quickly became captivated by the intricate patterns he saw. He later wrote that he felt snowflakes were “tiny miracles of beauty,” and he was determined to preserve them before they melted.
At just 19 years old, in 1885, he successfully attached a bellows camera to a microscope and photographed a snow crystal for the first time—an extraordinary technical achievement for someone with no formal scientific training.
Over the next 40 years, Bentley refined his technique. He collected snowflakes on black velvet to make them visible, transferred them delicately to glass slides using a feather or fine tool, and photographed them in frigid temperatures before they sublimated. Working largely alone in an unheated shed on his family farm, he captured more than 5,000 snowflake images. Through his meticulous documentation, he demonstrated that no two snow crystals are exactly alike, a conclusion that became widely accepted and often quoted.
Bentley’s work extended beyond snow. He also photographed frost, ice, dew, and cloud formations, contributing to early meteorological science. His photographs were published in magazines such as National Geographic, and in 1931 he co-authored Snow Crystals with physicist William J. Humphreys. The book remains a landmark in the study of snow and atmospheric science.
Despite international recognition later in life, Bentley remained modest and continued farming in Vermont. Tragically, in December 1931, he developed pneumonia after walking home through a snowstorm and died at age 66. Yet his legacy endures: he transformed snowflakes from fleeting curiosities into objects of scientific study and artistic wonder.
Today, Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley is remembered not only for proving that every snowflake is unique, but for showing how patience, creativity, and deep attention to the natural world can turn a rural farm boy into a scientific pioneer.
For more on his life and work, click his photograph!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
