If You Go Down To The Fens Today....Straw Bear Festival 1

(You will see that some of the dancers depicted in the post have blacked-up faces. This was done historically as a form of disguise so that people would not know who it was begging for money. There was never any real attempt to imitate black people; the ears, neck and hands are never blacked-up. Many modern dance sides are aware of possible misunderstanding and have changed their facial make-up, to bright colours, strange designs or just a few smears to make them look more like Victorian chimney-sweeps. One or two sides are determined to stick to the traditional black faces. 

I hope this explanation will be accepted, but also apologise to anyone who may be upset by the inclusion of these pictures here).

Deep in the Fenlands of Cambridgeshire lies the unremarkable town of Whittlesea. But something very remarkable, very odd and very English takes place in early January every year.

When I arrived in town at 9:30 on Saturday morning the place was more or less silent. An inexplicable tinkling of bells could be heard as the occasional pedestrian headed through the market square and squeezebox music seeped out from the open door of a pub. 

Then, an hour later, there are crowds lining Station Road and the market place is buzzing with conversation. In the distance the throb of a slow, steady drumbeat, growing slowly nearer.  A loud cheer goes up as around the corner.....

...a man comes leading what appears to be a dancing straw stack. "The Straw Bear", as it's known, is accompanied by what can only be described as "Cubs" and they all dance around to a rather ponderous tune which is growing gradually louder.

A band of bizarrely attired musicians comes into view playing squeezeboxes, drums, whistles and concertinas. There's a banjo, a trombone, a flute, fiddles, tambourines.....

....and dancers too!

And....

...and...

...and...

...and...

(so that's what the inexplicable tinkling bells were)

...and...

...(some of the dancers were quite little)...

...and...

...and...

...and...

...some seriously scary men passed in glum silence...

(more of them another time)

...and...

some women who were just as frightening

(more of them later too)

...but...

everybody else seemed ready to dance

!!!

(The first time I've taken a video for this blog!)

Well, that's Morris dancing by the White Rose Morris Men from Yorkshire. If you've seen any traditional English dancing then you've probably seen Morris dancing. But, as you've undoubtedly guessed some of the wackily attired people you saw earlier in this post are not about to do anything of the kind. I'll be back with more pictures, more videos and some words of explanation in subsequent dispatches.

Baby Bear says,

"Take care".