It is commonly accepted that in ancient Britain and the Celtic lands, there was Horse a Cult that likely reigned for possibly millenia.
While we cannot prove a direct relationship between the worship of Epona in Gaul, the great Uffington Chalk Horse, and folk traditions such as the Hobby Horse and the Mari Lwyd, suggests there may be a connection.
In parts of South Wales, the Mari Lwyd or Grey Mare is still carried from house to house between Christmas and Twelfth Night. She is a beribboned mare's skull, and will only be let into the house if the company carrying her can outwit the people inside in a riddling contest.
This practice is quite similar to Morris dancing, and the practice of going house to house singing songs, playing games, and entertaining the audience.
The Mari party (five or six men or boys) often had coloured ribbons and rosettes attached to their clothes, and sometimes would wear a sash around the waist. There was usually a "Leader", dressed far nicer than the others and would carry a staff or stick, or a whip. Other characters, such as the Merryman, who played music, and Punch and Judy (both played by men) with blackened faces; often brightly dressed, Punch carried a long metal poker and Judy carried a broom.
During the ceremony, the skull is carried through the streets of the
village by the party who would stand in front of every house to sing
traditional songs. The singing sometimes consists of a rhyme contest
(called pwnco or pwngco in Welsh) between the Mari party and the
inhabitants of the house, who challenge each other with improvised
verses which was traditionally exchanged through the closed door.
The contest could last for some time, until one side gave up. Punch and
Judy, if present, were troublesome characters; Punch tapped on the
ground in time to the music and rapped on the door with his poker. Judy
would brush the ground, the house walls, even the windows, and would
chase anyone unwise enough to get too close and brush them too.
Traditionally, if the Mari side lost the contest, they would have to
leave without being admitted to the house or pub, but this was probably
a very rare occurrence, as the party's entry into the building brought
good luck, so they would usually win (or be allowed to win).
Alternatively, they might sing a verse begging admittance.
Once inside, the entertainment continued with the Mari running around
neighing and snapping its jaws, creating havoc, frightening children and
(perhaps even adults) while the Leader pretended to try to restrain it.
The Merryman played music and entertained the homeowners. After a
bit of potential mischief making, the participants would be rewarded
with cakes and ale, and sometimes received a gift of money as well. The
visit concluded with a traditional farewell song
The legend behind the custom is that Mari Lwyd was cast out of the Bethlehem stable into the cold night to make room for a more prestigious Mary to give birth to a more prestigious child.
Ever since, she has roamed the world searching for a place to give birth to her colt.
The Mari Lwyd
The Hodening Hoss,
the Marbury Dun,
Old Bone-Face the Deathless am I,
Heavy with foal
Two thousand years,
Bridled with sorrow,
Saddled with fear,
I canter through pastures
of tremble and quake,
I gallop the tack between sleep and awake
Seeking the deep of welcome
And stint for my tears.
Let me in!
The Mare-Headed Queen
The Mari-Lwyd,
I was Mother of all the Herds
Ten thousand years my shining foals,
Bridled with starlight,
Saddled with gold,
Leapt the divide
Between living and dead,
Quickened the year
With each toss of the head,
Galloped the deep of Beauty
and Never grew old
Let me in!
But Mother of God, the Mary Mild,
the pregnant Maiden came,
Bursting with Jehovah seed
She entered my stable
And cried out her need.
With ropes I was dragged
From the birthing straw,
Aching with foal
I was heaved to the door,
Swaping warmth for bitter weather
and Birth of a rival creed.
Let me in!
And now I am Nightmare,
I am rattling womb,
The Uffington Wraith I've become,
Forced into darkness
You've made me a fiend,
Bridled with Shadow
Saddled with Scream
From window to window
Traversing the night,
My face in your glass
In a shudder of light,
Seeking that deep of welcome
Befitting a Queen.
Let me in once again,
Let me in!
Music and Performance by Chris Wood. Lyrics by Hugh Lupton
The Mari Lwyd a Beautiful song about the Legend of the Grey Mare.