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Various traditions are practiced on certain days of the year in Wales both currently and historically, including festivities originating in Welsh, Celtic, English and Christian cultures.
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Wales |
|---|
| |
| People |
| Art |
Various traditions are practiced on certain days of the year in Wales both currently and historically, including festivities originating in Welsh, Celtic, English and Christian cultures.
As recorded in the Laws of Hywel Dda, the three main holidays (gwyliau) of the medieval Welsh kingdoms were Christmas (Nadolig), Easter (Pasg), and Whitsuntide (Sulgwyn). [1]
Other important holidays were the feasts of St Patrick (Gwyl Badric) on 17 March; St. Quiricus (Gwyl Giric) on 16 June; the Beheading of John the Baptist (called in Welsh Gwyl Ieuan y Moch– St. John of the Swine – as it was the day the pigs were turned out into the woods to forage through the winter [2] ) on 29 August; St Michael (Gwyl Fihangel) on 29 September; and the Calends of Winter (Calan Gaeaf) on 1 November, All Saints' Day (yr Holl Saint). [3] A special drink called the "liquor of the Apostles" (gwirawd yr ebestyl) was brewed for and distributed on these saints' days. [4]
| Date | Occasion | Type | Day traditions / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Statutory | Calennig was a tradition where children carried a decorated apple, pierced with three sticks and decorated with a sprig of box and hazelnuts on new year's day. Children would sing a verse and were often gifted with money or food. [5] Children in Wales are still given New Year's money on this day as part of the Calennig tradition. |
| 14 January | Hen Galan | Informal | The Mari Lwyd ("Grey Mare") is a horse-figure that is carried from door to door by wassail-singing groups during Hen Galan (Old New Year) celebrations in some communities in Wales. [6] [7] [8] |
| 25 January | Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen's Day) | Informal | Welsh day of love, equivalent to St. Valentine's Day. [9] |
| 1 March | Saint David's Day | Observed | The patron saint of Wales is St David (Welsh : Dewi Sant) and St. David's Day (Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant) is celebrated on 1 March. [10] Some people argue it should be designated as a bank holiday. |
| Various | Shrove Tuesday | Observed | Shrove Tuesday, informally known as Pancake day, is the eve of the Christian period of Lent, which was historically a fast. It is traditionally celebrated with the making of pancakes, [11] because the perishables of flour, eggs and milk would be given up for the lent fast and so were consumed the day before. [12] |
| Various | Mothering Sunday | Observed | Mothering Sunday, or Mid-Lent Sunday, and informally as Mother's Day, is a traditional celebration on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which was a break from the Lent fast. It is celebrated with various types of cakes and buns, especially Simnel cake. Flowers are also traditionally given to mothers. [13] The name comes from The Collect for the day, Galatians 4:21–31, where Saint Paul refers to story of Hagar and Sarah, speaking of "Jerusalem … which is the mother of us all." [14] |
| Various | Good Friday | Observed | On Good Friday (Welsh : Y Groglith), Christians mark the day of the crucifixion with church services. The traditional meal on Good Friday is fish. A former custom was making Christ’s bed. Children would gather river reeds, weave them into a Christ figure, fix it on a wooden cross, and then leave it in a quiet field or pasture to rest peacefully. [15] |
| Various | Easter Sunday | Observed | On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate their most important church festival, the resurrection of Christ, and children receive chocolate Easter eggs and engage in chocolate egg hunts. Hot cross buns are eaten and Easter greetings include "Happy Easter" in English or "Pasg Hapus" in Welsh. [16] The traditional meal on Easter Sunday is roast lamb. |
| 16 September | Owain Glyndŵr Day | Informal | Although not a traditional holiday, many schools and organisations now commemorate the 16 September as a commemoration of Owain Glyndŵr, with festivals such as Gŵyl y Fflam (Festival of the flame) to celebrate it. [17] [18] [19] In addition, towns with particular links to Glyndwr celebrate the day, including Corwen and Harlech. [20] [21] |
| 31 October – 1 November | Calan Gaeaf | Historically observed | The beginning of winter. It has Celtic origins as one of the Celtic fire festivals, which merged with the Christian tradition and with the November 5th commemoration. [22] : 148 |
| 5 November | Guy Fawkes Night | Observed | Night of commemoration of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot on the Houses of Parliament in England. [11] |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Common Law | Christmas in Wales traditionally involved singing Plygain, toffee-making and torch processions. [23] |
| 26 December | Boxing Day / Saint Stephen's Day | Statutory | Boxing Day or St. Stephen's Day is known as Gŵyl San Steffan in Welsh. [24] |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | Observed | New year's eve in Wales includes attending pantomimes, theatre shows and parties. [25] The Nos Galan road race is also held in Mountain Ash. [26] |
These are festivals that were once widely celebrated in Wales but are no longer so.
Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau, or Candlemas, usually on the 2 February, literally translates as "Mary's Festival of the Candles" marks the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40. It falls on the 40th day (postpartum period) of and the conclusion of the Christmas–Epiphany season. [27]
Whitsun, or the celebration of Pentecost, is a traditional Church festival that was observed with a statutory bank holiday in late May. The link with the formal Whitsun date (which moves with Easter) was broken and replaced by a late May bank holiday fixed to the end of the month.[ citation needed ]
Locally, each parish celebrated a Gŵyl Mabsant in commemoration of its native saint. This annual celebration developed from a dedication through prayer to a programme of recreational activities. [28]
Calan Mai (or Calan Haf) is a May Day celebration on 1 May, marking the first day of summer, and one of the traditional fire festivals. [29]
Gŵyl Ifan (St John's Day) on the 24 June is otherwise known as Midsummer's day. [30]
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the liturgical year in Christianity, it follows the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast, and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season surrounding it.
Owain ap Gruffydd, commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the late Middle Ages, who led a 15-year-long Welsh revolt with the aim of ending English rule in Wales. He was an educated lawyer, forming the first Welsh parliament under his rule, and was the last native-born Welshman to claim the title Prince of Wales.
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by a range of modern pagans, marking the year's chief solar events and the midpoints between them. Modern pagan observances are based to varying degrees on folk traditions, regardless of the historical practices of world civilizations. British neopagans popularized the Wheel of the Year in the mid-20th century, combining the four solar events marked by many European peoples, with the four midpoint festivals celebrated by Insular Celtic peoples.
The culture of Wales is distinct, with its own language, customs, festivals, music, art, cuisine, mythology, history, and politics. Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and the daffodil.
Saint David's Day, or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD.
Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Christianity. The Eastern Orthodox churches that adhere to the Julian calendar mark Saint Stephen's Day on 27 December according to that calendar, which places it on 9 January of the Gregorian calendar used in secular contexts. In Latin Christian denominations, Saint Stephen's Day marks the second day of Christmastide.
Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. In these cultures it is traditionally regarded as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is usually celebrated with outdoor gatherings that include bonfires and feasting.
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. Historically, Corwen was part of the county of Merionethshire. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated 10 miles (16 km) west of Llangollen and 13 miles (21 km) south of Ruthin. At the 2011 Census, Corwen had a population of 2,325, decreasing slightly from the 2001 population of 2,398, The community, with an area of 69.51 km2 (26.84 sq mi), includes Corwen and the surrounding villages of Carrog, Clawdd Poncen and Glyndyfrdwy. The Office for National Statistics identifies Corwen Built-up area with a 2011 population of 477 and an area of 0.25 km2 (0.097 sq mi).
Twelfth Night is a Christian festival on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the coming of the Epiphany. Different traditions mark the date of Twelfth Night as either 5 January or 6 January, depending on whether the counting begins on Christmas Day or 26 December. January 6 is celebrated as the feast of Epiphany, which begins the Epiphanytide season.
The Presentation of Jesus is an early episode in the life of Jesus Christ, describing his presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem. It is celebrated by many churches 40 days after Christmas on Candlemas, or the "Feast of the Presentation of Jesus". The episode is described in chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament. Within the account, "Luke's narration of the Presentation in the Temple combines the purification rite with the Jewish ceremony of the redemption of the firstborn ."
Iolo Goch was a medieval Welsh bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others.
The Mari Lwyd is a wassailing folk custom found in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an eponymous hobby horse which is made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sheet.
Saint Martin's Day or Martinmas, and historically called Old Halloween or Old Hallowmas Eve, is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November. In the Middle Ages and early modern period, it was an important festival in many parts of Europe, particularly Germanic-speaking regions. In these regions, it marked the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter and the "winter revelling season". Traditions include feasting on 'Martinmas goose' or 'Martinmas beef', drinking the first wine of the season, and mumming. In some German and Dutch-speaking towns, there are processions of children with lanterns (Laternelaufen), sometimes led by a horseman representing St Martin. The saint was also said to bestow gifts on children. In the Rhineland, it is also marked by lighting bonfires.
The Old New Year, or the Orthodox New Year, is an informal traditional holiday, celebrated as the start of the New Year by the Julian calendar. In the 20th and 21st centuries, the Old New Year falls on January 14 in the Gregorian calendar.
Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40. According to the Old Testament rules in Leviticus 12, a woman was to be purified by presenting a lamb as a burnt offering, and either a young pigeon or dove as sin offering, 33 days after a boy's circumcision. The feast falls on 2 February, which is traditionally the 40th day of and the conclusion of the Christmas–Epiphany season.
Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau is a Welsh name of Candlemas, celebrated on 2 February. It was derived from the pre-Reformation ceremony of blessing the candles and distributing them to be carried in a procession. However, just as this Christian ceremony drew on pagan festivals connected with the coming of the Spring, some of the old practices that carried on in parts of Wales until the 20th century suggest older rituals.
The Urdd National Eisteddfod is an annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by Urdd Gobaith Cymru. It is the youth counterpart to the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Arguably Europe's largest youth festival, it is usually held during the last week of May, coinciding with schools' half term holiday. Locations alternate between north and south Wales. The Eisteddfod consists of competitive singing, recitation, art, composition, dance and instrumental events for contestants aged between 7 and 24 years. Regional qualifying heats are held in advance around Wales.
Owain Glyndŵr Day is held annually on 16 September in Wales, as a celebration of Owain Glyndŵr, the last native Prince of Wales and founder of the first Welsh parliament.
There are multiple buildings and sites associated with Owain Glyndwr in Wales.
We keep a feast on the 2nd of February, forty days after Christmas, in memory of our Lord's Presentation in the Temple. This feast has several names. First, it is known as the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus. Secondly, it is called the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But the usual and popular name for this Feast is Candlemas-day, because on this day candles are blessed before Mass, and there takes place a procession with lighted candles. Candles are blessed and lighted on this particular feast.
