Giant Snowman Appears Again

The incredible Sahit Muja has outdone himself. Last year, Muja who is a native of Albania and a resident of Saxon Woods Road built a giant snowman called Ilirianman on the front lawn of his home. This year, Muja took advantage of Wednesday’s snow to use it as the building material for another Ilirianman, and flanked the snow sculpture with a large lion on one side and a dragon on the other. Ilirianman is almost as tall as Muja’s home and the dragon and the lion extend from one end of the property to the other.

We stopped by to chat with Muja and to learn more about him and the legend behind Ilirianman. Muja, a father of three children ages 12, 6, and 3, grew up in Albania, which is now known as Kosovo. He currently runs a successful business importing and exporting minerals from Albania and says he could live anywhere in the world, but chose the United States because of the freedom Americans enjoy. The eagle, a symbol of freedom, caps

Ilirianman 2011

Iliria was a legendary Albanian tribal leader and when he died, the tribe built a giant snowman to memorialize him. Though the snow eventually melted, the story of Iliria lives on. He is a symbol of honesty and purity. Why the dragon and the lion? Muja explained that both are also legendary figures and fit nicely into the tableau.

Drive by 134 Saxon Woods Road soon to see these massive snow sculptures before Mother Nature turns on the heat.

Ilirianman 2010