Christmas Traditions in Wales

Christmas is a festival that is celebrated with great festive fervor and excitement throughout the world. Christmas is associated with music, lights and decoration. Christmas is the time of the year when people come together and enjoy the festivities. Families start preparations for Christmas well in advance. They clean homes and decorate it with evergreen twigs and wreaths. A Christmas tree is brought home and decorated with tinsel, ornaments and paper flowers. Parties, feasts and family reunions are organized during this festive season. Christmas traditions are part of Christmas celebration. Every nation has its own set of Christmas traditions. Christmas traditions in Wales vary a bit from those observed in England.

Christmas in Wales is all about enjoyment and happiness. The people in Wales listen to Christmas music and sing carols during the Christmas season. The Christmas is incomplete without music and dance in Wales. On Christmas day, people sing carols near the Christmas tree, their homes and in churches. Caroling is called as eisteddfoddee in wale sans is an integral part of celebration. The houses in Wales are decorated with holly and mistletoe and evergreen wreaths. A well-lit, decorated Chrristmas tree is seen in all the houses. Christmas celebration in Wales has crackers and toffees. A special toffee is made during Christmas.

These Christmas toffees are made of sugar and butter. They taste delicious and everyone loves them. The people go to church, attend church service and offer special prayers during Christmas. The traditional Christmas dinner has roasted turkey with vegetables. The desert is the special plum pudding specially made for Christmas. On Christmas day people greet each other and gifts are exchanged. Children hang stockings near the fireplace to get gifts from Father Christmas. The gifts are in form of toys, books, candies and sweets. The entire day is spent in partying.

The Christmas celebrated these days is somewhat similar to England. But in olden days, there were some traditions that the people of Wales observed. During the olden ages, Welsh people use to have a Calennig in their homes. It was a charm used for good luck. This custom can be traced to pagan times. The Calennig was a decoration made out of an apple or orange. This fruit was decorated with cloves and had a spring on the top. The fruit is supported by tripod made out of twigs. This decoration was kept in homes during Christmas or given to friends as a symbolic gift.

Mari Lwyd was another tradition that was practiced in olden times. Today, this tradition has lost its ground. A horse skull was used and it was carried by a group of people. They roamed in the village singing carols. Today, Christmas in Wales is about enjoyment and partying with great music.