Concerning Germanic Straw bears, St. Nicholas & The Last Sheaf

<p>In this article the traditional ritual activities connected to European Good-Luck Visits will be analyzed. These are performances that take place across much of Europe during the winter and spring. In them we find that the actors often utilize different types of plant-based materials to make their costumes. Symbolically, these objects form part of a larger class of objects and actions whose purpose is to ensure the health and well-being of those whose households are visited as well as to contribute to the fecundity and health of their domestic animals. As we shall see, the integration of natural plant-based materials in such traditional performances is not limited to the employment of these items as props with symbolic value. Rather vegetation, specifically, various types of straw (wheat, rye, oats, spelt or pea-straw) have been used, quite literally, to construct the very costumes worn by a specific class of bear performers, known collectively as Strohbären, that is straw bears. Whereas utilization of straw in the confection of these costumes is commonly associated with the bear actors of Bavaria, similar costumes are found in other parts of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland.</p><p>As will be demonstrated, in addition to straw, many other types of plant material have been used to construct the costumes, for example, moss, leaves, twigs, and pine boughs. And, less exotically, the bear costume can consist of a real bear skin and the head of a real bear, as is still the case of performances held in certain villages in Rumania. As has been noted by other researchers, the actors, often called ‘men of the forest’—as were bears themselves—were frequently identified as ‘wild-men’. In this study we will examine the wide variation in the costumes as well as the variety of plant materials, animal furs and horns that have been utilized to create them. In addition, the role of these bear actors will be discussed, especially in reference to the traditional performances of Bavaria. Questions related to the way that St. Nicholas got added to the mix of actors are also addressed.</p>