In the old days, the bear was considered the best doctor for back pain. Before Easter, Christmas or New Year, the “Ursari” type of gypsies (tr.: “bearers”) walked around the villages and caroled from house to house with the bear tied in a chain, to massage people’s backs and remove the pain from the spine.
Especially the men would lie down on their stomachs to be stepped on by the bear on their backs. At the command of the bearer, who shouts various commands, the bear “dances” on the man’s back, laying down harder or easier on different parts of the back, sitting down and performing movements with a certain rhythmicity. From here, the well-known cry “Dance, dance, Father Martin, I’ll give you honey made of bees”. Besides the fact that this trampling was therapeutic, reducing back pain, there is also a belief that the one who was trampled by a bear becomes stronger and will be free from pain throughout the year. While the bear danced on the man’s back, the women tried to pull hairs from the bear’s fur, to set fire to them and pass with that smoke in front of the children, thus saving them from various diseases or fear.
In addition to the physical benefits of this massage, there used to be beliefs associating this animal with healing graces, but also with the fact that it would attract and remove disease from humans. He was also associated with fertility, as well as the fact that his smoky fur would cure children’s fears.
Bearers were considered experts in the secrets of healing and magic, professionals who tamed bears and brought this gift of healing to people’s households. The Ursari are one of the gypsy artisans, whose occupation is the taming of animals, especially bears, to offer shows to those who want entertainment, but also for the practice of magical rituals. The bears were caught when they were cubs, they were cared for and trained, being taught how to “dance” on command to treat people.
All these rituals are based on the popular belief that bears bring good luck to the household and ward off dangers. The well-known custom called “bear’s footing” was considered to cure not only back pain, but also rheumatism, arthritis or fever. Also, the bear’s paw cured the Deochi, charms, fear, and even brought fertility and luck in the marriage.
The traditions of the “bear dance” surrounding the winter holidays are also linked to this custom of trampling the bear and to the beliefs about bringing good luck and warding off illness.
