| Where: | Formerly Ramsey, Cambridgeshire from the Junior School on Station Road |
| When: | Formerly Plough Monday (the Monday after 6th January) or occasionally the Monday following if it fits the school calendar better- see Helpful Hints! |
| Time: | Formerly 1pm |
Ramsey Straw Bear was a very modern revival (from 2009 to 2019) of the ancient fenland custom of making a straw bear for Plough Monday – a person totally covered with a straw costume and led through town. The reappearance of the event at Ramsey after a break for many years may well have been inspired by the success of the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival (see separate article) and the featured straw bear was a very similar constuction. At Ramsey, the Bear led a parade of hundreds of children from the Junior Schools to the site of the old Abbey, accompanied by musicians and molly dancers and singing a special song. It was part of a revival of local customs and culture involving young people and ended with dancing and blessing the plough on the Abbey Green. It was a particularly exuberant and colourful celebration and the children had obviously been practising hard! The complex steps of the broom and molly dances were very well executed and all appeared to be enjoying the spectacle when we visited.
Helpful Hints
For more on Plough Monday see separate article.
In 2020 it should have been on 13th January but it didn’t happen due to funding problems and part of the organisational team being on sabbatical. It remains to be seen if the revival is itself revived- please let me know if you hear of one- I’d love to find out more. Molly dancing still takes place in the district around this date, but if you want a Straw Bear you’ll need to visit Whittlesea if Ramsey isn’t on (see separate article).
Click here for more info: http://ramsey-and-district.ccan.co.uk/content/catalogue_item/history-of-ramsey-straw-bear
Click here for the Molly Dancers: http://www.ousewashes.com/Ouse_Washes_Molly_Dancers/ousewasheshome.html
and here for the Ramsey website: http://www.discoverramsey.co.uk
and the Junior School (check Christmas newsletter for more info on Plough Monday) https://www.ramseyjuniorschool.co.uk
Hi Averil, With Jan 6th falling on a Sunday seemingly plough events( ie Ramsey & Whittlesey straw bears & Goathland plough stots) fall a week later in 2019. One good thing it means a visit to Stroud mummers festival/ Wassail is feasible Sat 12th. I did notice that Haxey Hood had big changes with only one pub participating, hopefully back to normal in 2020! As alternative had good evening at Tarring wassail. Regards Hugh
Hi Hugh,
Yes I think it’s the way the days of the week happen to fall this year – with today being the first day of term at Ramsey it makes sense to defer the Straw Bear til next week. I expect that at least 1 of the Haxey pubs will have reopened in time for 2020 (fingers crossed) though it seems to have gone well this year anyway which is good news. Wassail!
Averil
Dear Averil,
I have just found out that the Ramsey Straw Bear Festival in Ramsey was totally changed this year & was last Sunday (Sunday Jan. 5) at the Jolly Sailor Pub in Great Whyte Street, Ramsey with no parade or Straw Bear, just Molly dancers. The title was in an article labelled “Not Quite Plough Sunday” How sad & disappointing for everyone.
Alice Sanders.
Thanks Alice,
I rang one of the schools to see if the Straw Bear was going ahead and she said they weren’t doing it as there was no funding, which is a pity. I guess the dancers were thus at a bit of a loose end so had the weekend dancing instead but that isn’t the same thing at all – now the only Straw Bears will be the ones at Whittlesea (and long may they continue!)
Best wishes,
Averil
Hi Avril, I was at Whittlesey on Saturday and a musician who also plays at Ramsey told me the main reason Ramsey was cancelled was the teacher who normally organises it is on an assignment abroad and no one else was prepared to take it on. I don’t know if she will be back for next year.(I did not plan to go). Regards Hugh
Thanks for passing on that info, Hugh!
Someone else told me it was lack of funding, and it may well have been the combination of the two. Things like that take such a lot of organisation! I’ll make inquiries later this year to see if it’s a permanent cessation – hopefully if the teacher returns that used to do it, it might get going again. It would be a pity if it doesn’t carry on – the children involved obviously loved it when we visited a couple of years ago!
Best wishes,
Averil