The Mari Lwyd. The Grey Mare. The Holy Mare. This tradition consists of a horse’s skull, draped in cloth and decorated with bells, carried around on the shoulders of a man. As with other wassailing traditions, the man and his fellows approach a home. At the door they sing a song to be let in. Upon successful completion they are let in and given food and drink (Tems, 12). Below are versus from the Llanhari tradition:
We’ve got a fine Mari She’s dressed very pretty With ribbons a-plenty With ribbons a-plenty With ribbons a-plenty this Christmas.
We come from Trefforest Through bushes and briars Through bushes and briars Through bushes and briars Through bush and briars this Christmas.
History
While there is some disagreement on the translation of the name (Tems, 12), there is a general agreement that this tradition predates Christianity entering Wales (Peate, 81) even if it late incorporated Christian beliefs. Dr. Peate states that the tradition is “an ‘ecotype’ of the many hobby-horse customs found in Britain, Ireland, Europe and even as far afield as Java” (Peate, 81). This can be seen in the use of a horse’s skull to greet the homeowners. Later on the Mari Lwyd took on a Christian aspect by becoming associated with Christmas, when it was primarily performed, and by potentially being used to worship the Virgin Mary (Tems, 12).
For awhile this tradition appeared to die out, nearly disappearing from Wales entirely in the early 20th century, but it was brought back in the mid-20th century and continues to rise in popularity (Tems, 12; Peate, 81). While there is some question on if this cultural heritage should be protected because it did disappear for several decades (Howell, 106) there is no question that this is a folklore tradition that has deep roots.
However, with its resurgence as a celebration of Welsh cultural heritage and of the Christmas season, there is a push to have this tradition recognized and protected (Howell, 106).