Old Glory Molly Gang performing at Whittlesea Strawbear
Whittlesea Strawbear Festival takes place in early January every year since 1980. It is a revival of a Plough Monday celebration in which a plough boy was dressed in straw and paraded around the streets. He was lead by a chain and would dance in return for a contribution of either money or beer and food. The bear was banned by the police as a form of cadging and an excuse for bad behaivior. Today it is a major attraction for many dance sides who perform over the weekend. Many of the groups are Molly Dancers who perform the dancers originally collected from the fens at the end of the 19th Century.
Size: 5100px × 3400px
Location: Whittlesea, Cambridgeshire, UK
Photo credit: © Richtradition / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: arms, bear, black, boots, bricklayers, cadging, cambridge, dancing, face, fen, gang, glory, hobnails, molly, monday, morris, plough, pub, shoes, straw, strawbear, suffolk, waistcoats, whittlesea
