Last year I read an account of the Straw Bear Festival in Whittlesey that described the bear as seeming to draw the winter sun along behind him. I had to see that for myself.
But there was no sun today - just a damp, Fenland cold that enters the bones. I shouldn't be surprised if I have caught the ague.
Yet I am pleased I went to Whittlesey (the festival website prefers the older spelling Whittlesea), which is a small town near Peterborough.
I saw the straw bear dance and caper, led by his keeper and followed by musicians playing his own loping tune.
And it turned out that Whittlesey, like Play School, has a big bear and a little bear.
Beyond that the day is a festival of dancing. There were the inevitable morris dancers, but also clog dancers (almost military in their noise and precision) and mysterious molly dancers.
The festival is a modern revival of a Plough Monday tradition that was suppressed around the turn of the 20th century.
I am all in favour of inventing ancient traditions: the Victorians did it all the time.
Anyway, the history page on the festival site will tell you more about this. It also appears from Twitter that there was a stabbing during the event.
I got out just in time.
4 comments:
Thanks, Jonathan, for this - wouldn't have thought that the English are up to these kind of festivities.
In Southern Germany we have similar events and masquerades as a part of "Fasnet" (Fasching, carnival) - an old, pre-Christian tradition
Slightly destroys the 'magic' to see the Straw Bear sports Nike plimsolls.
Shock to me posted on a Liberal blog - with the wonderful Kemps Men of Norwich and our wonderful Dragon Eric
Why does it shock you to see this on a Liberal blog?
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