The Mari Lwyd is an ancient wassailing custom which used to be widespread but now survives only in a few places in South Wales (and, to a lesser extent, Cornwall). Mari Lwyd means 'grey mare', and she takes the form of a decorated horse skull on a pole operated by a man hidden under a white sheet. The Mari is paraded around the district in return for refreshment as a house-visiting custom. A feature of the event was the singing battle between the visiting party and householders, followed by the visitors being invited in for cake. Nowadays the action takes place at the Corner House pub and the singing is still a feature of this event.
The origins of Mari’s name are, like the horse herself, deeply mysterious. One Welsh translation connects it to the heritage of pale horses in Celtic and British mythology, many of whom can cross over to the underworld (Rhiannon in the Mabinogion rode a white horse, for example).
Meanwhile, another translation of Mari Lwyd is 'Grey Mary'. Some scholars have linked her to a legend connected to the the nativity story. A pregnant horse was let out of the stables to accommodate Mary and Joseph. The mare spent days roaming the land trying to find somewhere new to have a foal. However, most Mari fans believe the character to have pre-Christian, pagan origins. This may be true, but the absence of late mediaeval references to such practices and the geographic dispersal of the various British hooded animal traditions - among them the Hoodening of Kent, the Broad of the Cotswolds, and the Old Ball, Old Tup, and Old Horse of northern England - have led to suggestions that they derive from the regionalised popularisation of the 16th and 17th century fashion for hobby horses among the social elite. The same might also be true of Padstow's Obby Oss and Penzance's Penglaz (see here).
Mari is taken around a village between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night, She is dressed with festive lights and decorations, and is usually accompanied by an ostler, and in some regions like Ystradgynlais in the Swansea Valleys, other folk characters like a jester and a Lady. This brings the tradition closer together with Mummers' Plays, a tradition of performances by the working classes in the 18th century.
When the groups get to a house, they sing Welsh language songs or wassails, or more traditionally indulge in a ritual called pwnco: an exchange of rude rhymes with the person who lives there. If the Mari and her gang get entry, the household is said to have good luck for the year.
Another Mari Lwyd event takes place on the Wales/England border at Chepstow where English wassailers and mummers come upon against the grey mare and her followers. Sadly, the event was cancelled in 2022 but has hopefully returned this year.
It's important - for local identity, tradition and community - to keep these things alive.
And, on that subject, today is also the day of the Whittlesea Straw Bear in Cambridgeshire.
I have mentioned the Whittlesea Straw Bear before on this blog (see here). Suffice to say it's an extraordinary event and an even more extraordinary costume.
There's a fascinating interview with the man under the straw in the latest Tradfolk blog. Read it here.
And you can also visit the official event website at www.strawbear.org.uk.
Of course, the Straw Bear and the Welsh Mari Lwyd events are both taking place on Friday 13th this year. For more about the superstitions and customs surrounding the number 13 and Friday 13th, visit my blogposts here and here.
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