Coming across a fluffy bear in chains, his floppy fabric tongue hanging out, at 6am isn’t a usual early morning occurrence for most people, but for the small Czech town of Hlinsko, Bohemia, and its surrounding villages, it’s a special once-a-year occurrence. As the beginning of Spring descends on the Northern hemisphere, so too does Masopust. One of the Czech Republic's longest running traditions, the carnival celebrates the change of season, with the hope that Spring will sow the seeds to bring a strong harvest for the year ahead. “The men dress in costumes based on the roles their ancestors would have had in the community. Mostly agricultural, such as the straw dresses and paper flowers, but I also came across the ‘Bear’,” laughs photographer Willem Jaspert, who captured the festival for his latest series. “He was a bit of a shock at 6 in the morning!”

"While many of the men (and women) have moved away to look for work, the Masopust event provides a real positive and fun way for people to keep their own own customs going and preserve a sense of pride in where they are from," says Jaspert. With this sense of community and positivity, just last year UNESCO officially recognised the celebration as a much-needed moment of cultural significance for the Republic. Observing as resident's ate from eachother's kitchens, sipping on shots of slivovice (a local plum spirit) and danced in traditional masks and costume, the photographer recalls: “It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It started off feeling like a weird fashion shoot and ended up like a street party! I discovered that if you start drinking shots at five in the morning you might need a little lie-down around midday!”

Jaspert's series is showing as part of Select/15 at Photofusion Gallery in Brixton until 26 June. Catch him on 11 June at 7pm where he'll also be giving a talk alongside three of his comtemporaries