Straw Bears and related

Subject: Straw Bears and related
From: Wheatman
Date: 02 Jan 12 - 10:32 AM

Check out this link
http://www.carnivalkingofeurope.it/activities/films.php
Most of it is carnival stuff but look at The Carneval di Valdei film. Now that is a straw bear with attitude.
I cannot make the link a blue clicky.
see you in january
Gan Canny

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: My guru always said
Date: 02 Jan 12 - 10:40 AM

Here's the link

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 02 Jan 12 - 02:12 PM

This particular one? Valdieri, Piemonte Pretty scary!

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 02 Jan 12 - 02:17 PM

this page collects the various "bear" figures.

This is a cool site. They say:

Carnival King of Europe is a research project funded by the Culture Department of the European Union.
It aims at bringing into light the important similarities that can be observed among specific aspects of Carnivals and winter fertility rituals across different areas of Europe.
        

This is the project's official website and it aims at bringing together:
• a new perspective on Carnival as a discrete European cultural phenomenon,
• resources on Carnival studies, insofar as books, films, links, events are concerned,
• facts & events about the project's progress.
...

I think it rates its own thread.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: Wheatman
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 04:46 AM

Thanks for the blue clicky Hils
Your are so right Becky, the more I see the more compulsive the research becomes
gan canny Brian

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: Mo the caller
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 09:55 AM

So what does it mean? why do they burn it? do they burn the English one?

Has anyone any wild theories?

Subject: RE: Straw Bears and related
From: Wheatman
Date: 03 Jan 12 - 11:20 AM

Oh Yes, there are a lot of wild theories. In Walldurn Odenwald, Germany they swear in the cloon (clown) on the Thursday before carnival and burn him on Shrove Tuesday evening on a bed of straw. We burn the straw on the Sunday after Straw Bear Saturday in Whittlesey as it seemed a fitting end rather than taking him to the land fill. It is probably greener to compost him nowadays but we needed a definitive end to the festival and this seemed a good way to achieve this. This part of the British event is contrived and has no other significance. Others interpret this part of the festival in other ways probably after watching The Wicker Man too many times. As I have no German I have not been able to find out from my friends over there, the significance if any, of their burning. Gan Canny Brian