Watch: Straw bear effigy burnt to mark new year

The start of the new year has been marked by the burning of an effigy of a bear.

It took part at the Straw Bear Festival [1]at Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire.

The tradition dates back more than 150 years but was stopped in 1909 by the local constabulary.

Revived in the 1980s, director Gary Cook said “everybody really enjoys it”.

References

  1. ^ at the Straw Bear Festival (www.bbc.co.uk)