Straw Bears
Straw Bears
On the Saturday before Plough Monday a fascinating revival has taken place in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Since 1980 a man encased in a ‘straw suit’, wearing a sheaf for a hat, has danced through the streets collecting money for charity. This is the Straw Bear which, up until the early part of the 20th century, used to be accompanied by Plough Monday Witches in the Fenland villages between Peterborough and Huntingdon either on the Monday itself or what was called Straw Bear Tuesday.
He was also known to have journeyed further north in Lincolnshire but was eventually outlawed as a form of beggar and disappeared until the revival in 1980. Like so many such characters in folklore, his origins are unknown. But this seems of little importance to the band and numerous dance teams who regularly join in the fun.
This page is part of our Beginners’ Guide: British Folk Customs From Plough Monday to Hocktide.
