The Straw Bear of Whittlesey

Whittlesey’s Straw Bear custom features a performer enveloped in straw, accompanied through the town as part of a winter celebration. Historical accounts and modern revivals both form part of the event’s story.

It is important to distinguish a documented revival from a claim of uninterrupted performance. The custom provides an example of how communities recover, reinterpret and maintain seasonal traditions.

Place: Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire. Evidence: historical documentation and revived community practice. Source trail: local Straw Bear festival history; Folklore Society studies of English calendar customs.