Welsh Customs

 

During the winter months

 

Allhallowtide – 31 October

 

Allhallowtide is the traditional name of the first day of winter in Wales. It is also the day that spirits return to roam the earth.  The traditions associated with this time of year are mainly concerned with death.

 

 

Christmas 24/25 December

 

Many of the traditions associated with Christmas involve the preparation of food and drink such at cyflaith (toffee) and gwasael (wassail).  Wassail is a drink made from fruits, spices, sugar and warm beer that is drunk from a special bowl.

 

 

New Year’s Day – 1 – 12 January

 

Although most of us celebrate New Year’s Day on the 1st of January, the old tradition of celebrating New Year’s Day on the 12 of January still remains in some areas of Wales.

 

The Celts believed that life was a continuous circle. This is why wreaths of evergreen leaves were used as decoration at this particular time of year and why the Mari Lwyd is paraded through a number of villages in Wales on New Year’s Eve.

 

Another tradition associated with New Year’s Day is ‘calennig’. In some parts of Wales young men used to knock on doors and sing verses or ‘penillion’. Sometimes they would play tricks and throw things at people in the hope of getting a few coins.

 

 

St David’s Day – 1 March

 

This date in 589 AD is believed to be the date of St David’s death.

 

St David was a celtic monk, abbot and archbishop who became the archbishop of Wales. He was one of the very early saints responsible for the spread of the Christian faith among the Celtic tribes.

 

St David was born near Capel Non in south west Wales, not very far from where the city of St David’s stands today. He was educated in a monastery where he was taught by a blind monk called Paulinus.

 

According to the legend St David lived for more than 100 years and was buried in the grounds of his own monastry where St David’s Cathedral stands today.

 

May Day – 1 May

 

May Day or Gwyl Calan Mai in Welsh celebrates the first day of summer. Usually, the celebrations began the night before when bonfires were lit across the land.