Mari Lwyd discovered hiding out Down Under during summer

The Mari Lwyd is an ancient Welsh custom, where a horse-figure goes singing door-to-door during the Christmas season in search of hospitality and beer.

Until recently, few have been spotted outside of Wales – but a recent sighting in Australia suggests that Mari may be spending Welsh summers in the southern hemisphere and enjoying the winter months down under.

Another theory is that she’s travelled to support Wales against Australia in the rugby.

This Australian Mari Lwyd forms part of a performance art project called the ‘Côr of the Matter’ – with Côr meaning choir.

The project draws together live visual art, sound art and improvisation, and a choir that performs new arrangements of traditional welsh music.

Sellout

To date, performances have been a sellout at the Melbourne Welsh Church – one of a few places outside of Wales that continue to deliver Welsh-language church services.

The choir have also proudly represented Welsh music and culture at the Australian National Celtic Folk Festival.

Over the past few years, the Mari Lwyd has been a central part of the choir performance.

It’s become a pet project of visual artist Jacqui Stockdale, who engaged the local Welsh diaspora and friends to help create Mari Lwyd decorations from ribbons and bells.

While rooted in tradition, there are a few modern tweaks to this custom.

One being that the lower jaw of the horse skull was substituted with a 3D-printed version, kindly sourced by alto Lee Coleman, as the original was missing. 

Tradition

The choir begins performances by processing with the Mari Lwyd singing re-arrangements of traditional music by composer and artistic director Jenny M. Thomas.

Despite the appearance of the horse skull, the verses announce the arrival of the Mari Lwyd as harmless company decorated with ribbons asking permission to sing, followed by requests for money and beer.

The choir conductor Daniel Griffiths said: “The transformation of traditional welsh music into visual art elevates the sensory experience for audiences alongside choral music.

“The Mari Lwyd entrance leaves a stunned silence. You can see jaws drop in awe as she walks by.”

The Mari Lwyd’s future and 2024 festive plans remain a mystery.

Will it return to its Welsh roots for Christmas, or trade for beach barbecues under the Australian sun?

We will have to wait for the answer, as the Mari Lwyd did not respond to our requests for interview. 

Find out more about ‘Côr of the Matter’ here.