CHRISTMAS IN WALES: A THREAD 🎄🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
"One of the most curious customs which was once in vogue about Christmastime was the procession known as Mari Lwyd, a man wearing the skeleton of a horse’s head decked with ribbons and rosettes."
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#FolkloreThursday #Wales #Christmas I'll be updating this thread with lots of Welsh folklore as we count down to Christmas, sources to follow. The Mari Lwyd photo above gets used a lot this time of year, it was originally taken for one of my stories in South Wales Evening Post many moons ago. Nadolig llawen!

HALLOWEEN IN WALES:
A THREAD 🎃👻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

"All Hallows Eve is by the Welsh called Nos Calan Gaeaf, meaning the first night of winter. It is one of the 'Teir Nos Ysprydnos' - three nights for spirits - upon which ghosts walk and fairies are abroad."

#Wales #Halloween #Ghosts #Folklore I'll be updating this thread daily with snippets of Welsh folklore from various sources (references to follow) as we count down to October 31.
Oh, and for lots more Halloween history, be sure to check out the GHOSTS & FOLKLORE podcast... if you dare! 🎃
markreesonline.com/ghosts-folklor…

My new book PARANORMAL WALES was published in March - the same week the UK went into lockdown, great timing! - so I postponed my book launch until Halloween.
Sadly that won't be possible either, so I'll be having a virtual launch party on my GHOSTS & FOLKLORE podcast instead.
👇 The great thing about doing it online is that all my friends from around the world can join in, so it should be my most well-attended book launch to date - even if I am sitting here on my own talking to myself into a mic! Signed copies will also be available, more on that soon
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Who wants to win a spooky FREE book?
To celebrate #BookLoversDay I'm giving away a copy of PARANORMAL WALES or GHOSTS OF WALES to one lucky tweeter.
Just like and retweet this tweet to enter - easy!
👻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

#paranormal #wales #sundayvibes #win Standard Mark Rees T&Cs apply. Winner will be drawn at random & DM'd on Aug 16. Bribery probably won't work but it's always worth a try. Judges decision (mine!) is final. There's a heatwave going on right now, why are you reading this small print? Get outside & soak up the rays!

Today is the feast day of Mary Magdalene. This is said to be her skull, which is kept in a glass dome in a crypt outside Provence:
"The skull of Mary Magdalene rests in the crypt of the Basilique Sainte Marie Madeleine, a massive Gothic basilica whose construction began in 1295." More on Mary Magdalene's skull here:
magdalenepublishing.org/skull-mary-mag…

Who wants to WIN a spooky free book?
I'm giving away a copy of PARANORMAL WALES to one lucky person, a spine-chilling journey in search of the country's "most haunted" locations.
Just like and retweet to enter. Good luck!
(*Porcelain ghosts not included!)
#paranormal #wales #win Standard Mark Rees T&Cs apply. Winner will be drawn at random and DM'd on Mon, July 27. Bribery probably won't work, but it's always worth a try. Judges decision (mine!) is final. I'll be moaning that I have no books left in a week or two, I really should stop giving them away...

The Llanddona Witches of Anglesey had a curse for unpleasant men:

"May he wander for ages many;
And at every step, a stile;
At every stile, a fall;
At every fall, a broken bone;
Not the largest, nor the least bone,
But the chief neck bone, every time."

#Wales #FolkloreThursday The Llanddona Witches verse/curse has been translated from the Welsh language. Here's the original:
"Crwydro y byddo am oesoedd lawer;
Ac yn mhob cam, camfa;
Yn mhob camfa, codwm;
Yn mhob codwm, tori asgwrn;
Nid yr asgwrn mwyaf na’r lleiaf,
Ond asgwrn chwil corn ei wddw bob tro."

"Gloomy and melancholy people, and those very much depressed in spirits, were accustomed to drink an infusion of Scarlet Pimpernel. Worn in the hat, cap, coat, or bodice, it was supposed to keep sad thoughts from the wearer."
Folklore of Wales, 1909
#FolkloreThursday #Wales Welsh folklore tells us that pimpernel can be used to tell the time:
"The scarlet pimpernel, known as the 'poor man's clock,' which opens at 7am and closes about 2pm, was regarded as a barometer. On the approach of rain the flowers will not open, or, if open, close at once."

Remember the time an 11ft high 3D hologram of Richard Burton’s disembodied head was used in Jeff Wayne’s "War of the Worlds"? Here's Richard Burton's giant floating 3D head looking totally natural and not creepy in any way shape or form. Never mind the martians, THIS is what humanity need fear...

Never mind Coco Pops, do you know why Corn Flakes have a cockerel on them? It's all thanks to the Welsh language.
When harpist Nansi Richards met Kellogg she told him his name sounded like the word Ceiliog (cockerel). He liked it - & coloured the bird to match the flag of #Wales! There was a lot to squeeze in to that tweet above, but just to clarify - Nansi did indeed tour America where she met Will Kellogg. Soon after, the cockerel appeared on the packs but the suggestion that the colours / flag etc. has entered the realm of legend - it's a great story!

"The Fairies’ song was once well-known in #Wales. The mythical beings would chant it whilst dancing merrily on summer nights:

From grasses bright & bracken light,
Come sweet companions come,
The full moon shines, the sun declines,
We’ll spend the night in fun"

#FolkloreThursday The full fairy song is actually two verses long, and the snippet above is only half the first verse. Also, it has been translated into English from the Welsh language. I'll paste below the full version in English below, and follow it with the original in Welsh....

CHRISTMAS IN WALES: A THREAD 🎄🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

"One of the most curious customs which was once in vogue about #Christmas time was the procession known as 'Mari Lwyd' (Grey Mary), a man wearing the skeleton of a horse’s head decked with ribbons and rosettes."
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#Wales #folklorethursday I'll be updating this thread with lots of Welsh folklore as we count down to the big day itself.
All quotes are courtesy of Jonathan Ceredig Davies (1859–1932) unless otherwise stated, and the Mari Lwyd photo above was taken at the Gower Heritage Centre.
Nadolig llawen!

HALLOWEEN IN WALES:
A THREAD 🎃🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

"All Hallows Eve is by the Welsh called ‘Nos Calan Gaeaf,’ meaning the first night of winter. It is one of the three nights for spirits, upon which ghosts walk and fairies are abroad." 1/

#Wales #Halloween #HalloweenCountdown #folklorethursday (I'll be updating this thread daily as we count down to Halloween, and all quotes are courtesy of the great Wirt Sikes 1880 unless otherwise stated)