EP30 Curious Christmas Folklore of Wales: Christmas Eve and Day traditions and customs, from kissing under the mistletoe and light-filled Plygain services to Sion Corn (Santa Claus) and the Mari Lwyd
It’s Christmas Eve – the perfect time to pull up a chair next to the log fire, pour yourself a glass of mulled wine and listen to some old folklore of Wales.
In this festive special, Mark Rees takes a look at:
• Why kissing under the mistletoe isn’t just about the romance
• The incredible Plygain services, in which countless candles are used to illuminate the night
• How the town of Tenby ensured nobody had a lie-in on Christmas Day
• A return of the horse-skulled Mari Lwyd
• And even revealing Father Christmas’s first name… well, maybe!
For some of the answers – and even more questions – press play and join Mark Rees for the latest special festive episode of the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast with Mark Rees.
Merry Christmas / Nadolig llawen!
Christmas on the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales with Mark Rees podcast
Christmas is a magical time for Welsh folklore and ghost stories, and every Thursday during December there’ll be a new special episode of this podcast dedicated to a festive subject.
These include such folkloric favourites as the Mari Lwyd, a haunted pubs and even a magical Christmas tree.
Be sure to check out each episode on December 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 – yes, there’ll even be new episodes of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve!
Did you catch last week’s episode of the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast?
Did you miss last week’s episode? Catch up now: EP29 The Magical Christmas Tree… and a few ghosts!: The curious tale of a tree that blossomed in a west Wales garden every Christmas Eve.
For a full list of every episode, from the Mari Lwyd to the Mabinogion, and to subscribe, visit the Ghosts of Wales podcast page.
Enjoy this podcast? Read more about the Welsh Christmas folklore in The A-Z of Curious Wales!
The A-Z of Curious Wales by Mark Rees is available from all good bookshops, and online from the books page.
Published by The History Press, here’s the blurb:
Wales’ history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter.
Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse’s skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town.
From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song ‘Sosban Fach’, this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.