Mari Lwyd
From the collection of
From the collection of
The noisy Mari Lwyd still trots and sings its way around some parts of south Wales each new year.
Animation by pupils of Plas newydd School, Maesteg, of the south Wales (especially Glamorgan) tradition of Mari Lwyd (Grey Mare, or Grey Mary), where a horse's skull is decorated with bells and coloured ribbons and taken from house to house in the neighbourhoods, singing verses outside the door and begging entry. Pagan in origin, this new year tradition lives on, and in this mix of animation and live action the children re-enact pub jollities on the Mari's visit, weaveing in images of ghostly skeletons, including horses.