The Welsh Tradition of Mari Lwyd, A Decorated Hobby Horse That Goes Wassailing With a Crowd

Dr. Emily Zarka of the PBS series Fate & Fabled explains Mari Lwyd, the Welsh tradition that features a decorated and draped horse’s skull affixed atop a wooden pole like a hobby horse that goes from house to house with a crowd to participate in wassailing, a form of caroling for drink.

The coastal villages of Wales around the winter holidays have a bizarre nighttime visitor: a grim skeletal horse who roams the streets with a rag tag group, demanding food and drink from neighborhood families. But is this really a monster to be feared, or one that is rather cheered?