EP133 Christmas Special: The Other Mari Lwyd – Wales’ Uncanny Yuletide Visitor (Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast with Mark Rees)

2023-12-21

Dive into the Christmas revelry with singing and dancing, but beware: there's a darker side to these Victorian traditions involving a frightening hag and a horse-skulled Christmas visitor. Uncover strange tales of festive celebrations, the Welsh love for singing in the 'land of song', the long-standing links between Morris Dancing and the Mari Lwyd, and introducing the bizarre Aderyn Pig Llwyd, a horse-headed creature adding an eerie touch to Christmas streets. Will you be ready for the unexpected this holiday...

Dive into the Christmas revelry with singing and dancing, but beware: there's a darker side to these Victorian traditions involving a frightening hag and a horse-skulled Christmas visitor.

Uncover strange tales of festive celebrations, the Welsh love for singing in the 'land of song', the long-standing links between Morris Dancing and the Mari Lwyd, and introducing the bizarre Aderyn Pig Llwyd, a horse-headed creature adding an eerie touch to Christmas streets.

Will you be ready for the unexpected this holiday season?

Explore the gothic lore with Mark Rees (Ghosts of Wales) on the Ghosts and Folklore of Wales podcast... if you dare!

Until next time, nos da - and Nadolig llawen/ merry Christmas!

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Mark's latest "Ghosts of Wales" book "Paranormal Cardiff". You can order it online here.

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WHAT IS THE GHOSTS AND FOLKLORE OF WALES PODCAST WITH MARK REES?

The "Ghosts and Folklore of Wales" podcast explores Welsh ghosts and ghost stories, lore, myths and legends.

Launched by author and journalist Mark Rees (Ghosts of Wales/ Paranormal Wales) in early 2020, this weird and wonderful podcast takes a fascinating look at the country's countless curious subjects by combining decades of research from many books and articles with long-lost tales from dusty old tomes.

Ranging from "real life" encounters with the uncanny to fantastical adventures from the Mabinogion, new episodes are uploaded every other (Folklore) Thursday and feature everything from pesky poltergeists to fire-breathing dragons, with the odd wicked - and not-so-wicked - witch along the way.

Along with the regular stories you can also expect the odd special guest, an occasional live ghost hunt, and all sorts of crazy ideas. Seasonal specials include the dark folklore and Gothic Halloween (Nos Calan Gaeaf) traditions, and everyone's favourite skulled-skulled Christmas visitor, the Mari Lwyd herself.

Dare you explore haunted Wales? From the sublime mountains and cascading waterfalls to the bustling cities and remote farms, go in search of the paranormal and the unexplained in all corners of Cymru - think of it as opening the Welsh The X-Files... and some tenuous Ghostbusters links!

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a spooky episode, and for more details and to get in touch with Mark Rees, please visit https://markreesonline.com/: