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2008 Tours - Sunday 6th January 12th Night Mari Llwyd from the Star Inn in Llanvihangel Tor-y-Mynydd |
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Leaving from the Star Inn, Llanvihangel Tor-y-Mynydd at around 6.15 p.m. with performances in the village during the course of the evening. A chance to enjoy this traditional Welsh folk custom, re-enacted and revived by the community with joviality, banter, music and dancing helped along by the Isca Morrismen.
Around 9.00 p.m. the Mari returned to the Star Inn after it's perambulation around the parish.
The Mari Lwyd was fairly widespread at one time but, in some areas, the parties gained a bad reputation for drunkenness and vandalism as they roamed the villages. With the advent of the industrial revolution and the rise of the chapels, there was a serious effect on the Mari Lwyd. Many a sermon was preached against the continuance of such a pagan and barbaric practice and the participants were encouraged to do something useful instead - such as taking part in eisteddfodau. In many places the "pwnco" disappeared and the Mari party sang only their arrival verses, adding Christmas carols to the repertoire. In other areas, the parties used English-language verses.
The Mari could still be seen in many villages in the 1920s and 1930s but by the 1960s, only a few survived. However in the last twenty years several villages have revived the tradition, usually in the style in which it was being performed when it originally died out around the start of the Second World War.
Nowadays, with several revival groups formed in our area, the Mari Lwyd is once again a regular and much-loved feature of the Christmas and New Year festivities.
For more information on the Mari Lwyd, please visit our web page.
If you are a musician of either sex who enjoys folk music, then again you will be well received, so whatever instrument you play, provided that it is portable, come and join us and learn our music. Come along and we'll ensure that you enjoy yourself and hopefully come back for more as we tour our area over the summer months.
If you require any more information then please check our Contact and Feedback page for our current officers telephone numbers or email us at our address: Enquiries 'at' Isca-Morrismen.com. We are a lively bunch and travel a fair bit with our activities, both in the UK and Overseas, so come on - contact us today and join in the fun, you'll not regret it!
  
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This year we are delighted that our traditional dancing programme is being sponsored by local Welsh Breweries, producers of excellent real ale to whom we are grateful for their wholehearted support. Please enjoy their real ales and visit their websites to learn more by clicking on the pictures. We also acknowledge the support and encouragement of The Mount Pleasant in Old Cwmbran, our after-practice venue during the winter. |