Just a quick post to draw attention to the coming of the Llanfihangel Tor y Mynydd, Mari Lwyd. Taking place in and around The Star Inn (Llansoy, so it is branded) on the 6th of January, the Llanfihangel Mari Lwyd is now in its eighteenth year. I was giving a talk on the Mari Lwyd tradition last autumn, when it dawned on me just how long we have kept this ‘revival’ going. It might not be an ancient Mari Lwyd [none of them are] but it is certainly well established. Over the years, the Llanfihangel Mari Lwyd has grown, contracted, grown and contracted again – the contractions seem to have a direct correlation to our insistence on keeping the Mari on the 6th, which, more often than not, falls on a week day work night. Either way, regardless of how many turn up, the Mari Lwyd has not failed to stride out on the 6th since its’ first appearance in 1999. One year, when the community was snowbound, the Mari failed to reach the pub, but it could still be spotted wandering around the lanes and footpaths. So, a warm welcome is extended to all. No guarantees as to what exactly will take place, but it is in a pub, so there will be drink, and at least a song or two! The Mari Lwyd is an entertainingly bizarre, macabre and enjoyable example of Welsh intangible cultural heritage, and well worth experiencing at least once if you can.
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