Mari Lwyd
I was almost going to finish this Creepy Christmas Characters topic at part 5 but I plan to keep going until part 8. It was brought to my attention, which I almost forgot, some more subjects that I will cover in this theme. This one is about Mari Lwyd, (the word "Mari Lwyd" is Welsh, and could be translated as either "Grey Mare" or "Grey Mary.")
This rather strange looking character is a hobby horse using a skull of a horse, dressed in white linen, and decorated with tinsel, holly and colourful ribbons. Sometimes its empty eye sockets are filled with baubles. There would be companions of the Mari Lwyd dressed in Punch and Judy costumes, going from door to door, offering to sing songs. Villagers that allowed the Mari Lwyd and party into their houses could offer food and drink. The Mari Lwyd would be let loose, snapping at people and chase kids around the house. The tradition was during the Christmas and New Year season, mainly it's a custom full of goodwill. Despite that, the Church tried to ban it. The Mari Lwyd has links with ancient wassailing throughout Britain.
She Wolf Night
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