Daeth yr arfer o gynnal parti mawr ar Sgwâr Abergwaun er mwyn croesawi’r ‘Flwyddyn Newydd’ yn ddigwyddiad sefydlog. Ceir cerddoriaeth byw a thân gwyllt a chyfri’r eiliadau tan ddeuddeg o’r gloch, fel y dethlir mewn dinasoedd mawrion led led byd. Mae’r parti yn denu nifer o bobol i’r ardal ac yn help i economi y dre, mae’n siwr. Ond, petai Jemeima Niclas yn digwydd dod i sefyll ar y Sgwâr, am ganol nos, ar Rhagfyr 31ain, fydde hi ddim yn adnabod y digwyddiad o gwbwl. Mae paragraff a geir yn y County Echo ar y 13eg Ionawr 1910, (noder y dyddiad), yn cefnogi’r datganiad hwn – “Haelioni.-Prynhawn yma (dydd Mercher) cyflwynwyd darnau chwecheiniog i’r disgyblion sy’n mynychu yr Ysgolion Cenedlaethol gan Mr T G Bennett, J.P. (Warden Ficer), gyda’i haelioni arferol.” Yn amser Jemeima, yn fwy pwysig na’r Nadolig, na Ionawr y 1af, yr oedd Yr Hen Galan, sef y 13eg o Ionawr. Ceir mwy o wybodaeth am y traddodiad wrth wasgu fan hyn. Mae dathlu Hen Galan yn draddodiad byw yng Nghwm Gwaun o hyd. Ceir cyfweliad yn sôn amdano wrth wasgu fan hyn. Ond beth am draddodiadau eraill sydd yn bodoli yng ngweddill Cymru. A fu y Fari Lwyd yn cael ei defnyddio yng Ngogledd Penfro ar unrhyw bryd? A beth am draddodiad Hela’r Dryw? Wel, darllenwch ymlaen….. Y Fari Lwyd Mae esiampl o Fari Lwyd o Farloes, De Penfro, yn cael ei gadw yn Amgueddfa Werin Cymru, Sain Ffagan. Yn wahanol i’r Fari Lwyd mewn ardaloedd eraill o Gymru, nid oedd ganddi benglog asgwrn o gwbwl. Fe fyddai pen Mari Sir Benfro wedi ei chreu wrth blygu a gwinio sach gyffredin fel bod siâp trwyn main yn ffurfio yng nghornel waelod y sach. Fe fyddai’r sach yn cael ei lanw gyda gwellt, gan stwffio’r trwyn yn llawn a chlymu y sach, wedi i siâp y pen ymddangos. Defnyddid hen fenyg gwaith fel clustiau a botymau mawrion fel llygaid. Byddai picwarch yn cael ei wthio i waelod y pen er mwyn rhoi uchder i’r ‘Fari’ wrth ei chario o dý i dý. Hela’r Dryw Mae esiampl o ‘dý dryw’, a wnaed ym mhentre Solfach, hefyd ar gadw yn yr Amgueddfa Werin. Fel gyda’n Fari Lwyd, byddai cario’r dryw o dý i dý yn caniatâu mynediad i’r bechgyn i’r parti. Byddai angen iddyn nhw ganu am eu swper…… byddai tipyn o ganu a thynnu clin bob ochor i’r drws. Mae disgyblion ysgolion yr ardal heddi, yn mwynhau dysgu am yr hen draddodiadau yng nghwmni y Fari a’r dryw. | The custom of having a big party on Fishguard Square to welcome the ‘New Year’ has became quite a fixed event. With live music and fireworks and a countdown to twelve o’clock, the event is similar to the way ‘New Year’ is celebrated in big cities all around the world. The party attracts many people to the area and helps the town’s economy at the beginning of the year. But, if Jemima Nicholas happened to come and stand on the Square, at midnight, on December 31st, she would not recognize the event at all. A paragraph found in The County Echo for 13th January 1910, (note the date), supports this statement – “Generosity.-This (Wednesday) afternoon, Mr T G Bennett, J.P. (Vicar’s Warden), with his usual generosity, presented sixpenny pieces to the pupils attending the National Schools.” In Jemima’s time, far more important than Christmas, or January the 1st, was The Old New Year, which was marked on the 13th of January. More information about the tradition can be found by clicking here. Celebrating Old New Year’s Day is still a living tradition in the Gwaun Valley. To learn more about it, press here. But what about other traditions which still exist in the rest of Wales. Were they used in North Pembroke at any time? Would Jemima know of Mari Lwyd or of Hunting the Wren, for example? Well, read on….. Mari Lwyd (Gray Mary) An example of a Mari Lwyd from Marloes, South Pembrokeshire, is kept at the Welsh Folk History Museum, St Fagans. Unlike the ‘Mari’ in other areas of Wales, she did not have a real bone skull at all. The head of a Pembrokeshire Mari would have been created by folding and sewing an ordinary sack so that a slender nose shape formed in the bottom corner of the sack. The sack would be filled with straw, the nose stuffed full and the sack tied, after the desired head shape was achieved. Old work gloves were used as ears and large buttons as eyes. A long handled harvest fork would be pushed into the base of the head in order to give height to the ‘Mari’ when being carried from house to house. Hunting the Wren An example of a ‘wren house’, made in the village of Solva, is also preserved in the National Folk Museum. As with the Mari Lwyd, carrying the wren house from home to home would serve as an invitation, allowing young lads access to party. However, they would need to sing for their supper…… there would be quite a bit of singing and leg pullinging on either side of the door before the lads were admitted. The pupils of schools in the area today, enjoy learning about the old traditions in the company of a modern day wren house and Mari. |
Arferion Calan / New Year Customs
Mae Mari Llwyd wedi ymweld â nifer o ysgolion lleol yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae'r disgyblion yn mwynhau dysgu am draddodiadau'r gorffennol. Mari Lwyd 'fegan' sy'n cael eu defnyddio. Maent wedi eu gwneud o ddefnyddiau wedi eu hailgylchu yn hytrach na phenglogau go iawn. Mae Mari Sir Benfro wedi'i gwneud o sach hesian wedi'i llenwi â gwellt. / Several local schools have been visited by Mari Lwyd in recent years. The pupils enjoy learning about the traditions of yesteryear. These are 'vegan' Mari Lwyd .... made of recycled materials rather than real skulls. The Pembrokeshire Mary is made of hessian sacking filled with straw.
Dywediad cyffredin yn yr ardal yw 'Y sawl a dorro nyth y dryw, ni chaiff iechyd yn ei fyw'. / A common saying relating to the wren translates - 'He who breaks the little wren's nest, shall never enjoy health or rest'.
Tý dryw wedi ei greu ar batrwm yr un sydd gan Amgueddfa Werin Sain Ffagan. Mae'n cael ei ddefnyddio mewn ysgolion ardal Abergwaun heddi. / A wren house, made to the pattern of the Solva wren house, held at St Fagan's Folk Museum. It is used to teach schoolchildren in the Fishguard area about our ancient customs.
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