page_title: Straw bear
section_title: Similar customs in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Nigeria and Poland
hierarchical_section_title: Straw bear / Similar customs in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Nigeria and Poland
caption_attribution_description: Polski: Niedźwiedź zapustny. Eksponat Państwowego Muzeum Etnograficznego w Warszawie. English: Shrovetide bear. Part of the Polish folklore. Exhibit of the Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw.
context_page_description: A straw bear is a traditional character that appears in carnival processions or as a separate seasonal custom in parts of Germany, mainly at Shrovetide but sometimes at Candlemas or Christmas Eve.
  The people playing the bears either dress in costumes made of straw, or are actually wrapped in straw. The straw used may be that of wheat, rye, oats, spelt or peastraw; twigs and modern artificial materials have also been used. The bears may be relatively realistic in appearance, with detailed masks, or fully rounded headpieces, or they may be more abstract, with narrow heads like a long, tapering sheaf.
context_section_description: Strohschab, Straw Cockroaches, appear between late November and December 5 in the "St. Nicholas Parades" in Obersdorf, Kainisch, Krungl, Bad Mitterndorf and Tauplitz, Austria.
  Shrovetide processions, Bohemia. In the town of Hlinsko, in the Czech Republic, and six nearby villages (including Hamry, Blatno, Studnice and Vortová), in the Hlinecko region of eastern Bohemia, men and boys wearing colourful costumes representing traditional characters spend a whole day going from door to door, accompanied by a brass band, visiting every household in their community. Some of the characters are Straw Men, dressed in costumes made of rice-straw, with blacked faces, and tall, pointed straw hats; they roll on the ground, and embrace women, which is said to confer fertility. Housewives gather straw from the Straw Men's skirts and take it home to feed their poultry. A ritual dance is performed in front of each house, to ensure wealth for the family and a good harvest. At the end of the day the men perform a ritual called "Killing the Mare"; the Mare, one of the group's hobby horses, is "killed" for its alleged sins. It is then "brought back to life" (with alcohol) and a dance ensues, involving the onlookers. This custom has survived despite being banned in the 18th and 19th centuries by the Catholic Church and in the 20th by the Socialist government. It has now been recognised by UNESCO as an element of mankind's Intangible Cultural Heritage.
  Niedźwiedź zapustny, Poland. Shrovetide straw bears were also known in Poland.
caption: Polish Shrovetide Straw Bear in Warsaw Ethnographic Museum
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