River Thames frost fairs
So, you know how sometimes in the winter it gets really cold outside and everything freezes? Well, a long time ago, in London, there was a river called the Thames. And sometimes during the winter the Thames would freeze over really hard, so people could walk on the ice!
When this happened, it was so exciting for everyone, because usually the river was always moving and you couldn't walk on it. People would make little markets on the ice where they sold things like food and toys, and they even had games and races. This was called a "frost fair."
But, why did the Thames freeze over? Well, it was very very cold outside, and the wind didn't blow very much, so the water in the river got very still and calm. When water is still and calm for a long time, it can freeze into ice!
Nowadays, we don't have frost fairs on the Thames anymore, because it doesn't get cold enough or stay cold enough for long enough. But back then, it was a really fun thing for people to do in the winter!
When this happened, it was so exciting for everyone, because usually the river was always moving and you couldn't walk on it. People would make little markets on the ice where they sold things like food and toys, and they even had games and races. This was called a "frost fair."
But, why did the Thames freeze over? Well, it was very very cold outside, and the wind didn't blow very much, so the water in the river got very still and calm. When water is still and calm for a long time, it can freeze into ice!
Nowadays, we don't have frost fairs on the Thames anymore, because it doesn't get cold enough or stay cold enough for long enough. But back then, it was a really fun thing for people to do in the winter!