The straw bear festival was brought back to Whittlesey in the 1980s and now is a popular event in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire has plenty of festivals and events to look forward to throughout the year. From the well-loved Cambridge Folk Festival to more unique events held by smaller towns and villages such as the Thriplow Daffodil Weekend, there is something for everyone to get involved in.
One of the county’s quirkiest traditions has to be the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival that takes place in the town of Whittlesey, just outside of Peterborough. The tradition started hundreds of years ago and would take place on the Tuesday after Plough Monday and involved dressing one of the confraternity of the plough in straw.
The straw bear would then be taken around the town to entertain people with residents giving him gifts such as money or beer and food. The first known reference to a straw bear is believed to have come from Wurmlingen in Germany in 1852 and would regularly feature in carnival processions or seasonal customs across parts of Germany.
Straw bears may have come from the medieval carnival figure of the Wild Man, a mythical figure and motif resembling a hairy human that featured in a lot of art and literature from the time. The bear could also be the personification of winter with the event being seen as a ritual expulsion of winter from the community.
The man chosen to wear the bear costume was believed to be important, as the straw picked to make the bear was always taken from the best available. The tradition started to disappear at the end of the 19th century with the last sighting being in 1909.
The straw bear was brought back to the town by the Whittlesea Society in 1980. The event now features musicians and dancers that follow the straw bear around and perform outside of houses around the town.
The bear costume is now made from straw that is fixed to a suitable garment with the head being supported on a metal frame on the wearers shoulders to make it easier to put on. The costume adds around five stone to the wearer’s weight.
This year’s festival will be taking place from Friday, January 16, until Sunday, January 18. Although it is a three-day festival, the bear only makes an appearance on the Saturday before the ‘Bear Burning’ event on Sunday.
The Friday will involve a Ceilidh before the main procession, which will involve musicians, plough boys with the plough and a range of dance teams that will walk from the Manor Leisure Centre through Station Road and Market Street.
The finale will take place at Market Place at 3pm. The Bear Burning will be taking place on the Sunday at Decoy Lakes at midday.
