Christmas in Wales

Welsh are quite fond of good music and carol singing at Christmas is the center of Christmas celebrations in Wales. Harps accompany the carols in the churches and people sing carols at the doors and windows and around the Christmas tree at home with or without harps. Caroling is called 'Eisteddfodde' here. In Welsh villages, one person is chosen to be the Mari llwyd at Christmas every year. The chosen one has to drape in white and carry a horse's skull on a long pole around the town. The person 'bitten' by the horse's jaws is obliged to pay a fine. There is a contest for a new carol and people gather at the public square at Christmas to know who composed the best music for it and has won the prize. The carol is then formally accepted as the 'Carol of the Year'.

The chosen carol gets the honor of being added to the long list of already-known and sung Welsh carols. Another important aspect of Christmas celebration at Wales is Taffy-making. Taffy is a special toffee made from brown sugar and butter that is good for chewing. The main ingredients along with other assorted flavors and additions are boiled and pulled until it becomes glossy and smoothens out to a delicious-looking relish. Christmas goose is never forgotten at Wales, while other traditional customs of England related to holly, mistletoe, pudding, carols, Christmas stockings, oranges, crackers and snow are followed here too. At Christmas dawn, carolers make round of the city and families are obliged to get up and welcome them in the homes and offer snacks and other refreshments to them.