The Whittlesea Straw Bear festival returned to the town on Saturday (January 11), with spectators gathering to watch the parade. Despite the frosty weather, dancers and musicians accompanied the Straw Bear in the procession through the streets with its attendant keepers.
Onlookers lined the streets to see the unique sight of the Straw Bear, while others snapped selfies with the straw star of the show. The Straw Bear was paraded alongside the Bourne Borders dance troupe, a Morris dancing group known for wearing bright yellow and green outfits, green face paint, and colourful floral hats.
Other Morris dancers sported multi-coloured jackets in shades of red, purple, and blue. In contrast, the Pig Dyke Molly dancers wore striking black and white face paint, while the Old Glory Molly dancers wore grey face paint and crowns of green leaves.
The tradition of parading the Straw Bear through the village is believed to have originated in the 1880s, but the exact date remains unknown. According to organisers, it was customary for one of the plough members to dress in straw on the Tuesday following Plough Monday (the first Monday after Twelfth Night) and be named the Straw Bear.
The local constabulary forced the festival to stop in 1909, banning Straw Bears as a form of cadging. However, it was revived in 1980 by the Whittlesea Society.
The annual procession now has more than 250 dancers and musicians who participate in traditional performances while spectators gather to see the renowned Straw Bear. The festival comes to an end on Sunday with the burning of an effigy of the Straw Bear, paving the way for a new bear to be crafted from the next year’s harvest.
You can see photographs from this year’s event in the gallery below.