Mari Lwyd - The fourteenth door

Yesterday we had music and lights, today we have a tradition revolving around a horse's skull - the Welsh Mari Lwyd.
I first read about the Mari Lwyd ("Grey Mary" to some who connect it with the Virgin Mary, "Grey Mare" to others who connect it with pale horses in Welsh mythology) in the last book of the "The Dark is Rising Sequence" by Susan Cooper, "Silver on the Tree" - a horse skeleton galloping faster than any living horse and without sound, red ribbons dangling from its lower jaw. I remember well how creepy the image was to me.

Back then, I knew nothing of the Welsh wassailing custom that has first been recorded in 1800.
The Mari Lwyd may turn up on your doorstep accompanied by a group of people - and in old days by a Punch & Judy show - demanding to be let in for food and drink, a demand which has to be refused several times before finally letting the group come inside. Similar customs exist in other countries as well for the days between Christmas and New Year's Day.
The special part is that the Mari Lwyd is a horse skull with glass or baubles for eyes, embellished with ribbons and carried on a pole by a person underneath a cloak.
Sure, come on in, dead horse, let's have a drink together!
As if that isn't enough the Mari is a bit menacing in other ways, she chases people and snaps at them.

R. fiend, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Some people think the Mari Lwyd is of pre-Christian pagan origin, but there are no recordings that would confirm this. Nevertheless, Christian clergy in the 19th century criticized the custom which seemed to be dying out, but never went away completely.
Nowadays the tradition has been revived, in fact it has even spread to regions where it hadn't been exercised before, such as the USA, which has led to the question if this isn't cultural appropriation. Is the Mari Lwyd only for Welsh people in Wales?

I'm in Germany, so I doubt I'll see a real Mari Lwyd anytime soon, but I still think it's a fascinating tradition!

By, the way, have you been wondering how to pronounce Mari Lwyd? Here you go. You're welcome.



References:
Jude Rogers: The midwinter majesty of the Mari Lwyd
David R. Howell: It's Mari Lwyd season - but who owns the tradition?
Sympathy for the Moon (blog by David K. Thorpe): On the trail of the Mari Lwyd

Cardiff - Day Five and Six

I know that today is Quote of the Week Sunday, but I thought I'd skip that for the last vacation report, you'll forgive me.

When we had been to the city the first time, we went to the Tourist Centre and asked about the best way to see some landscape. Seriously, guys, I had seen more water and cows then the famous Welsh hills and sheeps, so I thought a little field trip would be nice.
We had been recommended a small picturesque village called Llantwit Major with a beach nearby that we could reach by bus line X91. It was a nice, warm day. Perfect.
Arriving at the Central Station we started looking for X91. Hm, there was a sign, but the fence around it was not very encouraging. We checked the bus schedule and found two other buses would go there ... one of which drove by us, just as we looked for the point we had to go. Ah, no problem, right? One of the others would be due soon.
Or maybe not.
We found we would have to wait an hour. We are flexible however, so we went to check if there was a train going there as well. We got our tickets, two each, and were told we had two minutes. Ruuuuun!
We wanted to, but it's not easy to run through when you try to put in the wrong ticket. "This ticket is to Cardiff, Ma'am (oh, how I hate to be called Ma'am), you are in Cardiff." Oh yeah? Did this sound familiar? Like on the airport in Amsterdam when I fished the wrong boarding card out of my purse and was told that I WAS in Amsterdam already? I hate to be in a rush, it blocks my brain cells. I wasn't the only one, but I sure felt I was marked as a tourist.
Yes, people, for those who don't know that, the system is different in Germany. We don't have to go through a turnstile.
It figures that we wouldn't have had to run after all, the train was late. But finally we sat on there, listening to a little old lady who kept telling us all that her pension check went up and interesting facts about toothpaste and when she got off the train she said: "Driver, I'm sure you are glad that you also have more quiet passengers."

Llantwit Major, last stop before Bridgend. Ok, the train station obviously wasn't the picturesque part of the village. We walked downhill. And walked. And walked some more. Ah, there! A sign directing to the Beach! The street was a little narrow. Was this really the right way? Maybe we had to walk up there where it said "Reserve"?
Have I mentioned that it was warm? Uphill, uphill and when I had almost made it, I heard the words "Nope. There's a closed gate there. That's probably why the other guys came back down." Downhill, downhill. "Let's walk on that footpath where the other people walked before." Across the fields, yes, what a good idea. I bet they had been locals, knowing exactly what they were doing with their big beach ball and the sandals on.

We walked. I got a little suspicious about all the cow pats lying around and then we saw them, a herd of huge, vicious looking cows. With a whimper I asked if we had to walk through there. I hadn't been close to lots of cows since I had been a child and I wasn't sure if I could outrun them. It was warm after all, you know, and my purse kept falling off my shoulder. And I'm a wimp around some animals, especially if they come in herds. Maybe they didn't look very vicious after all, but they still looked big.
We turned around and gave up on seeing the beach that day, so all you get is this picture that I just as well could have taken in our neighborhood. At least I'm honest about it.


Back uphill it went, taking a closer look at the beautiful little houses with names like "Rose Cottage" and finally ending up in Elaine's Tearooms where I had a delicious three cheese salad before we took the train back to Cardiff. There's always a silver lining.
Maybe we should have taken the other advice we got, to visit the beach in Barry. Oh, well.
Unfortunately I didn't feel well when we were back in town, I tend to have a problem with warm weather, so we took the rest of the day very easy with a little walk and a quite early dinner at Mermaid Quay.
And a last picture of the view from the balcony.


There is not that much to say about Sunday as we couldn't do much more than packing our stuff, having breakfast and waiting for our ride to the airport.
I took another last picture of the window in the hall.


Our flights were on time and there was only a tiny little problem.
We were back in Stuttgart in the evening. Our luggage wasn't. For those who have been following this blog for some time, this might sound familiar. Just like last year our luggage hadn't made it during check through.
Who cares. It felt good to be home and be welcomed by nagging cats, even if it just had been a short vacation.

Cardiff - Day Four

Knowing we would meet Eddy, one of my guild members (take a look at her ArtFire studio, so fun) and online friends, in the early afternoon, we didn't plan much for the morning of day four.
We walked over to Mermaid Quay, heading to the Norwegian Church. The church which is an arts center now was built in the 19th century when Cardiff was one of Britain's most important ports. At that time the Norwegian merchant fleet was the third largest in the world, so this church as a place of worship for the Norwegian seamen was established.
Roald Dahl, the famous writer, was baptized in this church which originally had stood on the grounds of our hotel!


Right next to the church is the Scott Antarctic Memorial, reminding of Captian Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition which aim it was to reach the geographical South Pole first. Cardiff was one of the biggest donors for this expedition.


We walked on through the docklands before then reaching Cardiff Bay Barrage, constructed in the 1990s to help regenerate the docklands and created a vast freshwater lake, separated from the sea.


There is even a sea angling zone and of course we had to stop there. No, not I am the fishing member in this house and I have to admit my interest was somewhat limited, especially since I was the only woman there which felt a little strange. I also have to admit that I wasn't keen on staying there until someone would catch a fish. On the other hand it was funny when one guy thought he had hooked a fish and found it was another guy's fishing line.
I have no idea what exactly this hut is used for, but a pink building in an area where very manly men pursued a very manly and serious activity made me giggle.


Remember the buildings I had been so fascinated with? An abandoned structure and a restaurant built in 18something. I guess I'm just attracted to old buildings.


We thought it would be fun to take the waterbus back to the other side of the bay and were lucky that we didn't have to wait for long.
From there we went down to the wetlands for a sandwich until it was time to meet Eddy. We didn't sit there for long before a swan decided to keep us company (although the sandwiches hadn't been unpacked yet) and called over a friend after a while. We didn't feed them, don't worry. It didn't seem to make them happy however, so they finally came out and went to the other side. I took a video of them slowly swimming down the water until they disappeared in the reed. Quote: "Who comes to Wales to film swimming swans?" Well, I do! ;-)


Now it was time to go to Cardiff Bay Station. As someone having commuted by train since 1983, this station was a little surprising to me. Seriously, I have never seen anything like it. Even the smallest station I know has two tracks.
You can tell my surprise from the fact that I took a photo of this single track which looks as if it leads straight to the skyscraper in the back.


We had a fun afternoon. Unfortunately the pictures are personal and not for blog use, you know the rules. We took a bus ride (how many tourists get to see Cardiff hospital?), we looked at the shops and the new library, we had lunch, we went by the castle on to see the Animal Wall (that we had missed on Day Two) and then to Bute Park.


It was a lovely day, it was lovely company - thank you, Eddy! - and although I did NOT get a green balloon (private joke), I really enjoyed the afternoon.
We took the Aquabus back to Mermaid Quay where we had some icecream first and finally said goodbye.

Stay tuned for tomorrow if you dare losing any respect that you ever might have had for me before ;-)

Cardiff - Day Three

We had been recommended to go and see St Fagans National History Museum.
It's an open-air museum on the grounds of St Fagans Castle and gardens. Over forty original buildings have been re-erected here, so interesting!
Don't worry, I won't show you forty pictures now.

I'll show you Kennixton farmhouse with its bright red walls (for protection against evil spirits?).


Ever heard of a prefab? To fight housing shortage after the war government mass produced bungalows from scrapped aircraft and waste metal. They proved so popular that there are still hundreds around in which people live!


This is the Gwalia store. In the left part of the building there is set up a store from the old times which gave me a really nostalgic feeling. In the right part of the building is a "real" shop selling Welsh specialties and upstairs is a tearoom in the 1920s style that we missed out on because suddenly one of my teeth acted up and distracted me. I wonder if they would have had special Welsh pain relievers for me in the store! ;-)


One of my favorites was the smallest post office in Wales furnished like in war times. I think here I wouldn't have been able to get lost, either.


There were so many more interesting buildings, a church, farmhouses from different eras, a photographer's shop, a smithy, a saddlery - sometimes you can watch craftsmen working there, but not when we were there unfortunately.

We then decided to walk on and that is when we met him - Lionel, a caterpillar crossing the road. He was in a bit of a hurry, so he didn't have time to talk, but he let me take his picture.


They were not so much in a hurry in their field of grass. I admit I am drawn to black animals ("Witch, witch, burn her!!" *grin).


Finally we came to St Fagans Castle which actually is an Elizabethan manor house. My favorite was the reproduction of the kitchen set up as if preparing for a big meal. I panic in my own kitchen, but the size of those utensils, oh my!


Most of all I enjoyed the garden, though. I would have liked to stay longer.


If you ever come to Cardiff, go to St Fagans, I can only recommend it.

And last, but not least, my favorite shots (almost, but I'm not allowed to post the one with the tall guy walking into the light although it looks so cool).
Once with flash, once without. Isn't this beautiful? I could see myself in a lavish gown, walking here ...

Cardiff - Day Two

Seems I forgot to take a picture of the breakfast buffet. Think I am kidding? I do know people are doing this, but you'll just have to believe me when I say it was a mix of continental and English breakfast. People were piling up those sausages and strips of bacon on their plates! Even I was lured into the scheme (of hot breakfast, not sausages and bacon).

Strengthened for the day that way we took off on our walk to the city center. Somehow we had expected it to be a little nearer. We could have taken a bus, but instead we walked and walked and walked. It was a warm day, but thanks to the steady wind it wasn't too much. The wind was there all the time and even forced me to put my hair in a braid, so I wouldn't have it in my mouth constantly. Bad enough that I had problems looking through my too long bangs that kept flying in my eyes!

Finally we made it to the city center. First we headed for the National Museum. We already thought we had found it.


But then I spied with my little eye ... this sign, in both English and Welsh of course, that told us it was City Hall. The National Museum was right next to it and boy, did we enjoy it.



First we looked at the photography exhibition which made me hide my little camera in shame. It was the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 exhibition and we were deeply impressed. We had a nice talk with a museum warden about it, too.
I enjoyed the whole museum a lot, especially the impressionists - and a little girl who told her grandmother "Listen, these people are speaking French!" Hm, not quite, but who cares. The direction was not that bad.

Next we went to Cardiff Castle. We saw the Castle Apartments and I chose my new workplace! Unfortunately it didn't seem they wanted to choose me! ;-)


We walked up the Norman Keep, with the Welsh flag proudly flying on top, almost all the way up, but then I decided my feet were really too big for the tiny stairs (and mine are not the biggest ones in the family!) and anyway I am not too keen on looking down from open spaces. The pictures were made through small loopholes that made me feel safe ...



By then we had been walking for a few hours and our feet (and the back) began to hurt, so we slowly made our way back to the hotel. Even though it was so far from city center, it was nice to come back to the quietude of the area, only disturbed by the "laughing" of the seagulls.

Cardiff - Day One

I warned you, didn't I? Here we go.
Listen to a tale of sorrow, love, emotion, pain, wind and seagulls - lots of seagulls.
Did that get your attention? Let's start then.

Tuesday morning we left for the airport, early enough to be relaxed and in a good mood. That changed a little when we waited in the Cityhopper for late passengers. Late, late, late passengers. When they finally arrived, they brought their whole household with them. Of course they did, it had been too late to check in the luggage. The flight attendant was not amused, you could tell by his face.
Since we didn't have that big a time window between flights, our faces took on a slightly worried look, but although we almost hadn't hoped for it anymore, we did take off eventually.
Schiphol Airport at Amsterdam saw us running from one gate to the other. Except for the embarrassing moment in the scanner when they had to call me out because I got lost in reading the explanation on the wall.

And then we landed in Cardiff. I swear this is the cutest little airport I have ever seen. Although I have no orientation whatsoever - I need a GPS to guide me from the bedroom to the living room - not even I could get lost here. Amazing!
A cab took us to our hotel, The St. David's Hotel and Spa. We received a fair warning by the driver not to say that we were in England. We were in Wales now! ;-)
The last two years we had had hotel rooms in the Victorian and Edwardian style, but this year we stood in front of a top modern looking hotel with a hole in the middle, so-to-speak. From the hall you could see all the way up and the rooms were built around this space.
This is a view through the window in the hall standing on the third floor.


The room itself was not exciting. Maybe I'm too much of a romantic, but it looked a little cold to me, not special at all. Nice was the floor to ceiling window, so you could see the bay when lying in bed. And the view from the little balcony was even better.

This is Cardiff Bay to the left, the middle and the right.

To the left you can see the barrage whose introduction turned the bay into a freshwater lake.


The buildings in the middle fascinated me. Not so much the church on top, but the long one you can see on the left side of the picture, so we decided to go there one day.



To the right you see part of the Wetlands Reserve.


It was a little too early however to just stand on the balcony and look around, so we went over to Mermaid Quay on the other side of the hotel. Funny enough I have taken no picture of it and I can't even tell you the reason. The only pictures I've got is of the Pierhead Building which hosts the Visitor and Education Centre for the National Assembly of Wales.
As you can see, I was particularly fond of the demonic looking creatures guarding the building from the top.


Due to a back problem we knew the days would be shorter than expected, so after a little stroll we had some delicious Indian food and then soon headed back to the hotel to make plans for Day Two.