The Festival of the Straw Bear is an old fenland custom that died out in the early 20th Century: a man or boy, covered from head to foot in straw, was led from house to house where he would dance in exchange for gifts of money, food or beer.
In 1980 the Whittlesea Society revived the custom and The Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival was born. On the Saturday of the festival, the Bear processes around the streets with its keeper, followed by traditional dancers, musicians and a decorated plough. The next festival is 10th -12th January 2014. More information can be found at The Whittlesea Sraw Bear official website.
Image:Kev747licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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