For the first time in Vancouver—the Welsh Society’s Mari Lwyd…
The YouTube link below records the fun at our own Red Dragon Pub in the basement of the Cambrian Hall which will be 90 years old next year. This was our ‘not so dry run’ for the anniversary celebration.
Wow! That’s the first Mari Lwyd I’m aware of outside the UK - outside Wales, in fact! Some of the pub regulars must have wondered what was going on - but then that often happens when these old traditions are performed here too.
Diolch yn fawr Alan,
Those taking part are some of the folk who attend the Welsh classes at the Cambrian Hall, but if you look up the Vancouver Welsh Society you’ll see that the diaspora is alive and well here.
This afternoon there was a more serious cultural event, then tomorrow there will be a chapel service in the morning and Gymanfa Ganu in the afternoon—both followed by te bach.
Contrary to the immotal words of Max Boyce “Cwm Rhondda and Delilah [do not] sound the same”—but we can do a fair rendition of both, especially with the male voice choirs associated with the Welsh Society in full throttle.
If ever you are over this way you should come along.
All the best,
Mari
Ooh we had one last year at our Welsh Society’s Noson Caolau in Winnpeg. Unfortunately the real horse skull plans fell through but we still did it with a horse mask with shiny green balls in its eye sockets, and the song. I’d put up a photo if I could work out how to do that here. 
Brilliant–well done! I love the sound of those eyes.
So we were not the first in Canada–but definitely in Vancouver. I wonder if the tradition is alive and well in any other provinces.
All the best,
Marilyn
Not that I’ve heard. We had someone here who remembered it from when he was growing up in Wales in the area where it was (might have been Llandysul) so we did a little research to find the song. We did it at Christmas though–would have been better if we could have done it at New Years but it wasn’t possible to get it together then.
