It is held every winter in five villages in the Pyrenees mountain range between Andorra and France.
The event's unfolding narrative is woven together by the ancient pagan cults and legends of the Bear, such as those of Jean de L'ours. It is believed that John of the Bear is a half-human, half-animal creature created by the mating of a woman and a bear, who is blessed with superhuman strength. An old legend describes a bear kidnapping a young shepherdess to mate. A hunter tracked down the bear, who vigorously defended itself before being captured and saved by the young girl. It is brought back to the village square to be shaved. Taking on various jobs and tasks on behalf of the villagers, the bear then acts as a more humane or helpful member of the village. A bear has become a civilized human being through this story, as a ritual of passage to adulthood.
The event involves young men dressing as bears and running through the streets in an effort to capture participants. In addition to dances and speeches in Catalan, music is played throughout the festivities. During the hunt, all members of the local community join in, hunting bears together and welcoming spectators. There are slight differences in customs between villages. A village in Catalonia, Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, enacts the Catalan tradition by dressing three men as bears, covered in soot and oil, and wearing sheepskin garments. A bear population was once common in the area, but by the 1980s it had become rare. As of 1996, the animal has been gradually reintroduced into the Pyrenees. A similar scene is portrayed in various villages, but the meaning remains the same, representing the end of winter, spring rebirth (with the bear emerging from hibernation), and humans' relationship with nature.
Over the past thirty years, the festivities have gained popularity after declining in popularity in the 1960s. It is a diverse event that involves people from all ages and backgrounds in different ways, such as organizing it, performing roles, singing, or taking part in the chases. Through associations and schools as well as within families and friendship circles, bear festivities are passed down through generations. Furthermore, children are known to spontaneously engage in 'playing bear'. As a centuries-old event, the Catalan event brings together thousands of people from the five Pyrenean villages to celebrate a shared heritage and affirm their community membership.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/bear-festivities-in-the-pyrenees-01846) (https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Mag/Culture/France-s-mediaeval-bear-hunt-festivals-added-to-Unesco-heritage-list) (https://www.visit-canigo.com/en/canigo-terre-des-catalans/goutez-souriez-vibrez/la-culture-catalane/les-fetes-de-lours-classement-unesco/)