Bear leading
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The bears leading or driving is a traditional rural Silesian carnival custom . The custom has been preserved in western Upper Silesia to this day .
description
When guiding the bears, a disguised company, mostly made up of young residents, moves through the village, recreating the scene of a guided tour of the bears. They move from house to house and collect gifts (e.g. eggs, sweets, money or alcohol) and invite the housewives to dance with the bear. The dance is said to bring happiness to the residents of the house all year round. The host should also serve the carnival party with vodka. Meanwhile, the devil or the chimney sweep smear the faces of the two house residents with soot .
In addition to the leashed bear, the colorful company of the carnival parade includes a chimney sweep, a forester, a gypsy, the devil, a pastor, a doctor, a policeman, death, a wedding couple and the like. a. The move will be accompanied by musicians who play the accordion and drum, for example.
Traditionally, the bear or the costume is made of straw, and fabric costumes are often used today. The straw bear costume looks different from place to place, so there are costumes in which the straws stick out or costumes in which the straw has been processed into coarse or fine braids beforehand. The bear symbolizes evil.
At the end, everyone gathers to celebrate, dance and eat the gifts they have collected. The bear is brought to justice and sentenced to death. The hunter executes the sentence.
