Border Morris dancers filled the streets of Chepstow on Saturday (20th January) as they held the annual Chepstow Wassail Mari Lwyd.

The event combines the English tradition of Wassailing, and the Welsh Mari Lwyd tradition for a night of singing, dancing and ceremonies.

Wassailing involves blessing apple trees and asking for a good harvest for the following year, while the Mari Lwyd tradition involves the carrying of ‘The Mari’, a decorated, shrouded horse skull from house to house or pub by the Mari Lwyd.

The group then perform to gain entry for food and drink before they then bless the house.

The day started with the Mari Lwyd ceremony at the Greenman Backpackers hostel in Beaufort Square, new for 2018, while more than 20 Mari Lwyds took part in a pageant, with singing, colour and a beauty contest.

The night culminated with a meeting of the English and Welsh in the middle of Chepstow’s Old Wye Bridge and the Grand Mari Lwyd which was performed at Chepstow Museum.

The event attracted crowds throughout the afternoon and into the evening with morris dancing and a country ceilidh dance at the Drill Hall, while an ‘open mic’ at the Castle Pub went on into the night.

Photos courtesy of John Isaac