Historic Welsh Games and Festivals
"It seems difficult to realise the truth that far back, in those stormy periods, when the English and Welsh were engaged in fierce conflict, time was found for amusements of…
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From Glimpses of Welsh Life and Character by Marie Trevelyan, 1893.
It seems difficult to realise the truth that far back, in those stormy periods, when the English and Welsh were engaged in fierce conflict, time was found for amusements of any description.
But even in those days in patrician circles, the tilt and tournament, archery and hawking, supplemented the earlier and coarser sports formerly prevalent in Wales.
Among the peasantry humbler amusements prevailed.
They had their Beltane sports, and "taplas haf," or summer revelries, while the St. John's midsummer festivals were Eisteddfodau.
The former appears to have been the last remnant of ancient Druidical celebrations or festivities. A fire of logs was kindled, some say on the first of May, others say it was on St. John's Eve. Around it men and women, youths and maidens, hand in hand, danced and sang to wild and weird tunes of the harp. Old chroniclers state that the people gave way to the wildest noises, gesticulation, and jumping; and some of the revellers would defiantly leap over the fire, even at the peril of being burnt.
The origin of this is traced by some authorities back to the ancient Druidical custom of extinguishing the altar fires on the first day of May. To symbolise this, the peasantry of Wales formerly kindled the fire, and then danced around it, till it went out. When the smouldering embers were reduced to ashes, they were scattered hither and thither to the winds; and from that moment household fires ceased to be used excepting for cooking purposes in the dwellings of the people, until the advent of cold and rain in the autumn.
Beltane sports prevailed in the neighbourhood of Porthcawl, Glamorganshire, so late as the last century.
The "taplas haf," or summer revelries, consisted of dancing, singing, and festivities, on the mountains and in the valleys, after the crops had been gathered in.
According to the historians, the Welsh were regarded as excellent dancers. Owen Tudor was invited to dance some of the dances of Wales before Katherine, the beautiful widow of Henry V. While the handsome young Welshman was dancing one of his wild reels, it chanced that he fell against the queen, and the latter with a bewitching smile, said, "that so far from offending her, it would only increase the pleasure of herself and company, if he would repeat the same false step or mistake." Later on small wonder! Katherine and Owen Tudor were married,
The close of the hay harvest was formerly made the occasion of rejoicing, festivity, and mirth, and the "last load" was brought home to the sound of music and song. The horses' heads, manes, and tails were gaily decked with coloured ribbons, and the maidens wore gay favours on their bodices, and garlands of flowers upon their heads. All the young men decked their hats with flowers and rushes, and each carried his hay-rake, to which bright coloured ribbons with long flowing streamers were attached. They sang hay-making songs and ditties, many of which are still sung in Wales. The evening was spent in dancing, singing, and all kinds of games, which still are played by Welsh school children.
More important and imposing festivities were associated with the corn harvest. It was, and still is the custom, in some parts of Wales, for the farmer who is the first in the neighbourhood to reap, to leave a small quantity of corn standing in the field. Each reaper, taking his sickle by the point of the blade, instead of the handle, throws it at the corn, which is thereby cut. It is afterwards bound into a sheaf, then sent on as a token of God speed to the next farmer, who has yet to complete his harvest.
Formerly in many parts of Wales a harvest queen was chosen, and attired in a white gown decorated with ears of wheat, barley, and oats. She wore a coronal of wheat-ears and roses, and, as a rule, carried a posy of summer flowers. The scarlet poppy does not come in for a share of admiration in Wales, where its presence is regarded as "a sign" of poor land and bad farming. Generally a huge sheaf of wheat was decorated with ribbons, and this was borne triumphantly on the top of the last load. The horses were gaily decked, and led by the harvesters to the homestead, amid much rejoicing. The evening was spent in merrymaking, dancing, and games in the field nearest the houses, and these amusements were continued until the harvest moon arose in all its splendour, and shed its softening rays upon the scene of festivity.
In the past, Sunday sports prevailed throughout Wales. People who failed to attend the Church services were always in time for football and other sports.
Early on Saturday evening, dancing, music, and singing commenced. On Sunday, some of the inhabitants went to church in the morning, and in the afternoon resumed festivities, many people joining in the sports, and others looking on. In the summer months, interludes and bandy matches were played on Sunday afternoons, and spectators walked many miles to attend them. These interludes, together with the sports, were announced by the parish clerk at the close of the morning service. The clergyman and the clerk joined in the Sunday sports, and the former was generally an adept at football, bandy quoits, and bowling.
In the reign of Charles the First, the clergy, under penalty of suspension, were compelled by royal proclamation to publish in their respective churches the king's declaration concerning lawful sports for Sunday and upon all holidays. Several Welsh clergymen were ejected from their churches for refusing to obey the royal mandate, and with their refusal, Nonconformity, which dawned upon the martyrdom of John Penry, began to rise in the Principality.
The three first clergymen in Wales who were ejected for disobedience in this respect were William Erbury, Vicar of St. Mary's Cardiff, Walter Cradock, Curate of the same church, and William Wroth, Rector of Llanfaches near Chepstow, Monmouthshire.
Long after their days Sunday sports continued, and in many parts of Wales, so late as about sixty years ago, interludes, bandy matches, football, and dancing were, popular on the Sabbath.
Mai Santau, or Mabsant was the title given to festivities held from parish to parish for a week at a time. These celebrations were chiefly held on saints' days, St. David's Day being the grandest festival of all. The Mai Santau, or Mabsant, included revelry, rustic sports, dancing, solo and part singing, and varied kinds of amusement. Harpists and fiddlers attended every Mabsant, and the inn that had the best musician obtained the most custom. Sometimes these festivities were held in the town halls of little country towns, or else in the village inns, or barns lent by farmers for the occasion.
Almost every youth and maiden not to mention people of mature ages were in those days expert dancers. Gradually the simple and primitive character of the Mabsant degenerated, until at length the name became synonymous with reckless revelry and coarse orgies, connected with the Cwrw Bach, or little drinking bout, after which it deservedly fell into desuetude.
Puritanical influence wrought many changes in the old time sports and festivities of Wales, and the quaint and curious holiday amusements that once prevailed in the Principality have long ago been supplanted by modern English forms of recreation.
One old-fashioned amusement alone appears to survive every influence and mutation. It is still the most popular recreation of the Welsh when they go for a day's outing, and those who dislike this game are called uncommon odd" and “unnatural," because the youths and maidens in Wales seldom refuse to join in "Kiss-in-the-Ring."
Trevelyan, Marie. Glimpses of Welsh Life and Character. J. Hogg, 1893.
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