Traditional festival days of Wales

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.

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History

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]

Modern celebrations calendar
For existing public holidays observed in Wales, see Public holidays in the United Kingdom § Dates in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
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

(Old New Year)

 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

(Proposed statutory)

 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]

Festivals no longer widely celebrated

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.

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]

References
  1. Wade-Evans, Arthur. Welsh Medieval Laws, p. 2. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 31 Jan. 2013.
  2. Roberts, Sara E. Llawysgrif Pomffred: An Edition and Study of Peniarth MS 259B. Brill, 2011. Accessed 31 Jan 2013.
  3. Wade-Evans, Arthur. Welsh Medieval Laws, p. 343. Oxford University, 1909. Accessed 31 Jan 2013.
  4. Wade-Evans, Arthur. Welsh Medieval Laws, p. 341. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 31 Jan. 2013.
  5. "New Year Traditions: Collecting Calennig". Museum Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  6. "Christmas Traditions: The Mari Lwyd". Museum Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  7. "The Mari Lwyd". Wales. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  8. "Watch: Mari Lwyd appears at Hen Galan celebrations around Wales". Nation.Cymru. 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  9. "Celebrate St Dwynwen's Day". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  10. "St David's Day celebration traditions". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  11. "A year in Wales". Wales. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  12. "Pancake Day: Why Shrove Tuesday is a thing". BBC News. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  13. Davidson, Alan; Jaine, Tom (2014). "simnel cake". The Oxford companion to food (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199677337.
  14. Ferguson, John (March 1982). "The Christian Year: Fourth Sunday in Lent, Mothering Sunday". The Expository Times. 93 (6): 174–176. doi:10.1177/001452468209300607. S2CID 170189479.
  15. Sehgal, Kasvi (2 April 2021). "Here are the Welsh Easter traditions you need to know about". The Tab. Cardiff University. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  16. Hestler, Anna; Spilling, Jo-Ann; Scirri, Kaitlin (2020-04-15). Wales. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-5026-5584-4.
  17. "Mold Schoolchildren celebrate Owain Gyndwr". dailypost.co.uk. 18 April 2013.
  18. Arron Evans (8 September 2019). "Corwen's Gwyl Y Fflam Festival to give guests unique look into Owain Glyndwr's home". denbighshirefreepress.co.uk.
  19. Adam Jones (11 September 2015). "Celebrting Owain Glyndŵr's day".
  20. "Corwen to celebrate Owain Glyndwr Day - as King Charles makes first Wales visit as monarch". The Leader. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  21. "Harlech cancels procession out of respect for the Queen | cambrian-news.co.uk". Cambrian News. 2022-09-08. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  22. Jones, T. Gwynn (Thomas Gwynn) (1930). Welsh folklore and folk-custom. Cambridge : Brewer. ISBN 978-0-85991-056-9. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  23. "Welsh Christmas Traditions". Wales. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  24. "A Traditional Welsh Christmas - Christmas celebrations in Wales". Historic UK. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  25. Stephens, Lydia (2022-12-28). "The biggest New Year's Eve events in Cardiff you can still get tickets for". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  26. "Christmas in Wales and New Year break ideas". VisitWales. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  27. Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder. p. 410. Retrieved 27 December 2016. 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.
  28. "The forgotten festivals of Wales". Museum Wales. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  29. "Welsh May Day customs". BBC. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  30. Owen, Trefor M. (20 April 2016). The Customs and Traditions of Wales: With an Introduction by Emma Lile. University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-1-78316-827-9.
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