Mari Lwyd
Videos
The Mari Lwyd is a wassailing folk custom in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an eponymous hobby horse which is made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hi
The Mari Lwyd
A Mari Lwyd, during a celebration in 2006
At the Chepstow Mari Lwyd, 2014
A Mari Lwyd at the 2013 St. David's Day festivities in Los Angeles
Hobby horse
Videos
In folklore, a hobby horse is a costumed character that features in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. In England, they are particularly associate
Mari Lwyd
…The Mari Lwyd (; Welsh: Y Fari Lwyd, ) is a wassailing folk custom in South Wales. The tradition entails the use of an eponymous hobby horse which is made from a horse's skull mounted on a pole and carried by an individual hidden under a sheet. The custom was first recorded in 1800, with…
Painting of a hobby horse with Morris dancers beside the River Thames at Richmond, London; detail of Thames at Richmond, with the Old Royal Palace, c. 1620 (Fitzwilliam Museum, unknown artist)
The Old 'Oss capturing a young woman during the May Day festival at Padstow, Cornwall
Minehead Hobby Horse
Some modern dance sides have reinterpreted the hobby horse: this hooden horse is a zebra