The Ghastly Christmas Caroling of the Mari Lwyd

Описание: The Mari Lwyd is a Welsh tradition where a hobby horse is dressed up and paraded around town. The party stops at each house to sing a traditional song or rhyme a verse, and the occupant has to respond. The horse itself is part of a long tradition in the British Isles of using hobby horses in various traditions. It's not exactly a Christmas tradition, because Mari Lwyd happens on Twelfth Night. But we can surmise that it originated through a combination of winter festivals originally inspired by Saturnalia. What happens on Mari Lwyd? Find out to get in on the fun.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit the LDSFG website for info and news and a transcript of this episode: www.LDSFG.com

Get some LDSFG swag to support the channel: https://www.kevinlankes.com/ldsfg

Join my Patreon to help me continue to do some effing good, or at least stay caffeinated in the morning: patreon.com/LDSFG

Connect with me on social:
Bluesky: kevindoessomegood
Instagram: kevindoessomegood
Threads: kevindoessomegood
Twitter: @KevinLankes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources:

https://www.wales.com/about/history-a...

https://www.thehumanexception.com/l/m...

https://chepstowwassailmari.co.uk/about/

   • Mari Lwyd: The Skeleton Horse's Deep Past ...  

https://timelessmyths.com/celtic/othe...

https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/colle...

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/disc...

One individual who documented the process of making a Mari Lwyd horse: https://forums.somethingawful.com/sho...

https://web.archive.org/web/201204031...

https://playmakersrep.org/definition-...




Photo credits:

1st Mari Lwyd appearance: © Wanderer’s Haven Publications https://www.whpublications.com/the-wa...

Samhain: © Matt Cardy

Mari Lwyd with Dapper Man: © Hawlfraint y Goron / Crown Copyright

Chepstow Mari Lwyd 1 & 2: © Mike Lewis

Chepstow Mari Lwyd 3: © Andy Dingley

Mari Lwyd with Operator: © Andy Dingley

Mari Lwyd & Her Keeper: © A J Paxton

Mari Lwyd in Pontypridd: © Nokib Sarkar

Wassailing at Maplehurst, West Sussex: © Glyn Baker

Twelfth Night Wassail: © Tracy P / Ranveig via Flickr

Wassail Drink: © Jeremy Tarling