This is a list of days celebrated in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. There are

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...

s traditionally celebrated in Wales that are not shared with the rest of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Excluding those that fall at the same time as UK-wide

public holidays A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

, none of these traditional holidays are

bank holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or h ...

s. There is, however, much support for the recognition of St David's Day as a bank holiday in Wales, in the same way as

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, and

St Andrew's Day Saint Andrew's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Andrew or Andermas, is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle. It is celebrated on 30 November (according to Gregorian calendar) and on 13 December (according to Julian calendar). Saint Andrew i ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Many of the historical seasonal festivals originate in the

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

culture of Wales, as does the manner of their celebration.

Historic Practice

As recorded in the

Laws of Hywel Dda ''Cyfraith Hywel'' (; ''Laws of Hywel''), also known as Welsh law ( la, Leges Walliæ), was the system of law practised in medieval Wales before its final conquest by England. Subsequently, the Welsh law's criminal codes were superseded by t ...

, the three main holidays (''gwyliau'') of the medieval

Welsh kingdoms Wales in the early Middle Ages covers the time between the Roman departure from Wales c. 383 until the end of the 10th century. In that time there was a gradual consolidation of power into increasingly hierarchical kingdoms. The end of the early ...

were

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

(''Nadolig''),

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...

(''Pasg''), and

Whitsuntide Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the H ...

(''Sulgwyn''). Other important holidays were the feasts of

St Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron sain ...

(''Gwyl Badric'') on 17 March;

St. Quiricus Cyricus ( el, Κήρυκος, am, ቂርቆስ, arc, ܡܪܝ ܩܘܪܝܩܘܣ ܣܗܕܐ ''Mar Quriaqos Sahada''; also Cyriacus, Quiriac, Quiricus, Cyr), and his mother, Julitta ( el, Ἰουλίττα, am, እየሉጣ arc, ܝܘܠܝܛܐ, ''Yul ...

(''Gwyl Giric'') on 16 June; the Beheading of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

(called in Welsh ''Gwyl Ieuan y Moch'' St. John of the Swine as it was the day the pigs were turned out into the woods to forage through the winter) on 29 August;

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

(''Gwyl Fihangel'') on 29 September; and the Calends of Winter (''Calan Gaeaf'') on 1 November, All Saints' Day (''yr Holl Saint''). A special drink called the "liquor of the Apostles" (''gwirawd yr ebestyl'') was brewed for and distributed on these saints' days.

National celebration days in Wales

St Dwynwen's Day (Dydd Santes Dwynwen)

Celebrated on 25 January every year, St Dwynwen Day (Dydd Santes Dwynwen) is the Welsh day of love much like

St. Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thro ...

St David's Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi)

The

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Wales is St David, cy, Dewi Sant. St. David's Day (') is celebrated on 1 March, which some people argue should be a designated national holiday.

Pancake Day (Diwrnod Crempog)

This was historically held on the eve of the Christian fasting period of Lent. Diwrnod Crempog (Pancake Day) sees the making of pancakes.

Owain Glyndŵr Day (Diwrnod Glyndŵr)

Diwrnod Owain Glyn Dwr Celebrations, Corwen 2017

The day is celebrated on the 16th of September. Many schools and organisations commemorate the day, and street parades such as (Festival of the flame) are held to celebrate it. In addition, towns with particular links to Glyndwr celebrate the day, including Corwen and Harlech.

Calan Gaeaf & Halloween

Historically, a commemoration of end of the autumn and harvest season and the beginning of winter. It has Celtic origins which merged with the Christian tradition.

Bonfire Night (Noson Tân Gwyllt)

On 5th of November, a night of fireworks occurs that began after Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in England.

Boxing Day / St Stephen's Day (Gwyl San Steffan)

Celebrated on 26 December, in Wales

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

St. Stephen's Day Saint Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in Western Christianity and 27 December in Eastern Chr ...

is known as Gŵyl San Steffan in

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

Bank holidays in Wales

January

* New Year's Holiday (Dydd Calan)

April

* Good Friday (Dydd Gwener y Groglith) * Easter Monday (Llun y Pasg)

May

* May Day (Calan Mai)

June

* Late May Bank Holiday

August

* August Bank Holiday

December

* December 25 - Christmas Day (Dydd Nadolig) * December 26 - Boxing Day (Dydd San Steffan)

Historical festivals

Calennig

It is a tradition where children carry a decorated apple, pierced with three sticks and decorated with a sprig of box and hazelnuts on new year's day. Children would sing a verse and were often gifted with money or food.

Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau

2 February: Literally translates as "Mary's Festival of the Candles" marked the coming of Spring in Wales.

Gŵyl Mabsant

On a more localised level, each parish celebrated a Gŵyl Mabsant in commemoration of its native saint. This annual celebration developed from a dedication through prayer to a programme of recreational activities.

Alban Eilir

20–21 March: Spring Equinox, a time of festival and drinking, the middle of Spring.

Calan Mai or Calan Haf

1 May:

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

, a time of festival and drinking, the first day of summer and the Welsh equivalent of

Beltane Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...

. 20–21 June: Alban Hefin, a time of festival and drinking, (Summer Solstice) 24 June: Gwyl Ifan (St John's Day), a time of festival and drinking, otherwise known as

Midsummer's day Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr S ...

Calan Awst

Around 1 August: The first day of Autumn, a time of festival and drinking, the Welsh equivalent of

Lughnasadh Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...

, or

Lammas Lammas Day (Anglo-Saxon ''hlaf-mas'', "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in reference ...

Alban Elfed

22–23 September: Autumn Equinox, a time of festival and drinking, the middle of Autumn.

Alban Arthan

21–22 December: A

Winter Solstice The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winter ...

or Midwinter festival, a time of festival and drinking, the shortest day of the year. Mari Lwyd (wiki)

Mari Lwyd (Christmas season)

The Mari Lwyd ("Grey Mare") is a horse-figure that is carried from door to door by wassail-singing groups during the Christmas season.

External links

A list of other Medieval Welsh saints' days
at Aberystwyth University (under "gwyl")

References

{{Wales topics

Holidays A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...