I love listening to how everyone celebrates Christmas and am always interested in how different their traditions are. We all celebrate Christmas in our own way. From spending time with family and friends to taking a tropical holiday. Or cooking, baking and gift exchanges. I also love how ancient Christmas traditions, some that date back centuries, are still entwined in our modern celebrations. In the spirit of the season, here are some Welsh traditions and weird Christmas traditions.
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Welsh Christmas Traditions
Here are some of the weird and wonderful ways the people of Wales have enjoyed spending their Christmases over the years. There are some incredible Welsh Christmas traditions.
Calennig
It is believed that trick or treat was invented in Wales. For centuries, something very similar has been taking place on New Year’s. From dawn until noon, all around Wales, groups of young boys would go from door to door. They would carry three-legged totems, chant rhymes, splash people with water and ask for Calennig, which is the gift of small change.
Holly and Mistletoe
Originating with the Druids around the 3rd Century, this is an ancient tradition in Wales. Holly branches and Mistletoe would be used to decorate the home. Both of these plants are considered to be good luck. The reason has been forgotten in modern times, but we continue to use them both in our festive decorations. In Norse mythology, Mistletoe was a symbol of love and friendship despite being poisonous to humans. Holly was a fertility symbol and used to ward off witches and bad luck.
Holming
This is a slightly more modern one. On Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day, during the Holming is one of the modern odd Christmas traditions. On Boxing Day, the day after Christmas Day, during the 19th Century, the unpleasant ritual of Holming took place. The last person out of bed that morning would be beaten with prickly holly sprigs. If you were unlucky enough to be both a woman and a late sleeper, you would have two lots of holly stick Holmings. (This would be me! Surely, after all the festivities, you are allowed a lie-in?!)
Hunting the Wren
Hunting the Wren is a Welsh Christmas tradition that can be traced back to Neolithic times, around 6500 years ago. It usually takes place on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, coinciding with St Stephen’s Day – Gwyl San Steffan. St Stephen was the first Christmas martyr to be stoned to death in the year 36 for blasphemy against the early Jewish faith. It is believed that when St Stephen was in hiding in a bush from his enemies. A wicked wren gave his position away.
The hunting of the Wren in Wales involves capturing and killing a wren. It gets placed in a box and then marched from door to door. When people open their doors, they would pay to see the wren’s body inside the box. Then let the procession in for food and drinks. If the procession refused entry, a particular song would be sung wishing ill luck on the house. Wren day is also seen as a way of starting the upcoming new year with a clean slate.
Mari Lwyd
The creepiest of the Welsh Christmas traditions Mari Lwyd. It involves decorating the skull of a horse and wearing it above your head. The earliest documented occurrence of Mari Lwyd was in the 17th Century. Groups of men come together to follow a makeshift hobby horse around the town.
The Mari Lwyd Welsh Christmas horse would be carried by the ‘leader’. He would be followed by his men dressed in costume or fancy attire. Such as the playful characters of Punch and Judy. They would make their way from door to door, requesting entry into the homes of locals in song. Those dressed as Punch would tap on the door or knock on the floor to keep up the song’s pace. Judy would brush the windows and walls with a broom.
The owners of the homes would deny entry, again through the power of song. This continued back and forth until one or the other gave up. If the homeowners were first to yield, they had to let the group in for food and merriment. The homeowners also had to ensure they warned Punch not to touch their fireplace; otherwise, he would rake out ember and ash from the open fire grates.
Today, wooden horses or homemade horses are used instead, and it is supposed to bring different communities together. I am happy for a carol singer or two. But you and your fake dead horse are not coming into my house this Christmas!
Plygain
One of the oldest Welsh Christmas traditions, Plygain, is still celebrated today. In history, the earliest known recording of a Plyagain service is from the 13th Century. People would gather together in rural churches where men belt out their favourite Welsh carols into the early morning. (I suppose the modern-day version is singing in Caroline Street into your bag of chips whilst wearing your Christmas jumper, after a few too many.)
Traditionally the service would begin around 3am. The priest would be escorted from his home to the parish. The walkers would sound cow horns, and hundreds of candles and torches would light the way. The service would stop at first light when everyone would go home to celebrate Christmas morning together.
Taffy
This sweet-toothed Welsh Christmas tradition takes place on Christmas Eve for those who like to indulge before Christmas. In Welsh it’s called Noson Gyflaith (toffee evening). Families would gather together and begin the process of making tasty Christmas Day treats for everyone. The tradition started when confectionary was a luxury, and few could afford the joy of having sweets regularly.
Taffy is another word for toffee. It is made with rich salted butter and sugar, which was expensive to buy years ago. These days we tend to cut up, roughly chop or smash the toffee. Another way to do it is to drop blobs of molten taffy into ice-cold water and watch it cool. Once cooled, the family would play a game of picking out shapes that resembled letters and using them to spell out their names. Other traditions included picking out random ‘letters’ and using them to name potential future children.
Wassail
This Welsh Christmas Tradition is right up my street. Instead of mulled wine or cider, the Wassail is an elaborate bowl filled with spices and sugar and then warm beer. It was often drunk during the Mari Lwyd procession. The Wassail bowl is passed around the party for all to share. When taking a sip, custom dictates that the drinker should make a wish. In earlier times, the wishes would be along the lines of a healthy harvest or good fortune for their family for the coming year. Not this years must-haves such as the Furreal Cubby Bear or a Fortnite Battle Bus.
What are your Christmas traditions?
Do you adopt any of these Welsh Christmas traditions, or will you be including any in your celebrations this year? I’d love to hear what your Christmas traditions are in the comments.
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So glad Holming is no longer done! Phew! I just know that would be me lol
The holly and mistletoe sounds lovely, though. Both those plants are lovely, but definitely keep in mind that if you’re going to have them in your home, they’re poisonous to pets, too.
Gotta love a bit of taffy, though! And Mari Lwyd is a little bit macabre lol
I’m always last out of bed, especially on Boxing Day!
very interesting read thanks for sharing, I learnt a few new things! Thanks
Glad to be of service
Like the idea of taffy, sure I have heard it used for toffee in the US
Taffy or toffee, it tastes great
These are fascinating, I love hearing about those unique, local traditions
a great selection of welsh traditions
Thank you very much
Lovely! My friend in America is always talking about Taffy too.
I love sweet treats, especially at Christmas
I would definitely get the Holming, ouch!
Me too! Surely you deserve a lie-in on Boxing Day?!
Love to hear some great and unique traditions our tradition is to sing Santa clause is coming to town before we go to bed ☃️🎄🎅☃️🎄🎅☃️🎄🎅
What a great tradition! We always used to leave a pint and mince pies out for Santa and a carrot for Rudolf
Really interesting traditions
Glad you enjoyed it
I wouldn’t mind the Wassail, sounds quite nice.
It’s right up my street – cheers 🥂
I love hearing about different traditions this was very interesting
So glad you enjoyed reading it
Some really interesting reads here. I love the old traditions. My tradition is to always bake mince pies on Christmas Eve. Not too long to go now
Yum, I love mince pies. I found some salted caramel mince this year, can’t wait to try it.
Not heard of many of these – thanks for the information
You’re welcome
I love a good tradition at Xmas, I’d never heard of wassail before!
I love Christmas! Cheers 🥂
Fascinating! Holming sounds horrid!
Holming is definitely not a tradition in our house – haha
Thankyou for the insights
You’re welcome
Wow! Some of these are BIZARRE but I absolutely love that… although Holming sounds pretty painful 😂
My Boxing Day tradition is to stay in PJS all days and enjoy my presents 😃
Completely bizarre! It’s my boyfriends birthday on Boxing Day. We have a lie-in, bacon sandwich and then get back to celebrating
I loved reading this! So interesting learning about other Christmas traditions!
Fab! Glad you enjoyed it
We don;t really have any as a family, but I have loved reading about yours! I can’t wait for Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I always make a massive trifle for Boxing day tea as dis my mum, gran and great gran before me
That’s lovely! I make a trifle too in my grandmothers glass bowl
Never heard of these but interesting.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed reading them
Ha ha! I love the ‘holming’ tradition! Strikes me as very sensible for those homes where it is impossible to get younger family members out of bed on holiday mornings!
I love my sleep and a lie-in, so I’m quite happy not to take part in that tradition
That was a really interesting blog, I didn’t know that about holly and mistletoe
Glad you enjoyed it. I have a dog now, so can’t have real holly or mistletoe in the house, apparently, it’s poisonous to them.
I am so in love with your blogging name! I’m pleased that I’m a real girl! I’ve never heard of any of these traditions but it was a good read and after all knowledge is power so they say!
Thank you, and thank you. Glad you enjoyed the read
I never knew some of these!
Neither did I. I loved researching these
What an interesting read Thanku .
I think sadly most Christmas traditions are a thing of the past.
Thank you! I think we all have our own now, rather than community ones
What a great post, thanks xx
Thank you very much 🙂
Well I love the sound of a toffee evening but im not sure about hunting a wren haha. Funny traditions.
They are a bit odd, aren’t they?!
Oh my goodness, some of these are bizarre! I like the sound of the singing and toffee evening. Not up for Holming though!
Nobody wants to hear me sing, but that’s more my thing. Holming = no!
Interesting traditions
Thank you
Ah lovely, some great traditions here.
I am liking the sound of Wassail and holming made me giggle.
A wassail is definitely my thing!
How interesting, not heard of a lot of them. They you learn something new everyday.
Thank you, it was interesting to do the research – I learnt something new when writing it
Ugh the decorating of a horses skull and wearing it is one of the most creepiest and disturbing things I’ve ever seen lol. I dunno you find something odd and new every day haha
It wouldn’t be something I’d want to do, it is creepy!
Really interesting read, thanks for sharing with us
No problem at all, glad you enjoyed
what a fab blog post, very interesting
Thank you, glad you enjoyed reading it
very interesting –holming sounds a bit kinky
Haha! Not my thing…!
Interesting thanks, I didn’t know about a lot of these Welsh traditions
I didn’t either, had fun researching this topic