Author: Steve Kiff

have you seen our list of Mari Lwyds? its on our Website HERE and if you have a Mari Lwyd or ar part of a Mari Lwyd group and your not on our list fill out our Registration form HERE and we will add you straight away.

here are some Mari’s including ours…

On cold, dark nights in the very heart of midwinter, when the wind rattled the windows and the hills of Tonyrefail lay silent under the stars, families once settled in for a visit they both dreaded and adored.

Candles flickered, fires crackled, and children were hushed as whispers curled through the air…

“She’s coming… the Mari Lwyd is out tonight.”…

But it wasn’t only Tonyrefail that waited for her. From the valleys of Glamorgan to the old towns of Gwent, from windswept farms in Carmarthenshire to tiny villages hugging the western coast, homes across Wales paused for that same knock on the door, a knock that carried centuries of winter magic behind it.

Always, it came just as you’d given up hoping.

A firm rap.

A playful thump.

A sound that stirred excitement and shivers in equal measure.

Outside waited a sight half wondrous, half wild: a great white horse’s skull, draped in shimmering ribbons of red, green and gold, her eyes like winter embers, bells chiming softly as though moved by spirits or the wind itself.

This was the Mari Lwyd, Wales’ wandering winter visitor, returning once more to remind every household that even in the darkest months, joy could be coaxed back into the light.

She never travelled alone. Behind her came friends, neighbours, villagers, singing old songs, trading rhymes, teasing their way into warm kitchens through the playful poetry of the pwnco.

The challenge was part game, part tradition, part winter theatre. It didn’t matter who won; the laughter mattered more than the words.

Once she stepped over the threshold, with permission, of course, the house would burst into warmth. The Mari brought blessings, music, stories, and often a little harmless chaos. Children squealed, adults grinned, and for a few precious moments, the cold outside felt very far away.

This was how it was across Wales: village to village, farm to farm, door to door, each community adding its own sparkle to the tradition. And Tonyrefail was no different.

Here, the last keeper of our local Mari was Mrs Alice Kiff, whose footsteps once echoed down these very streets, ribbons brushing her arms as she guided the gleaming skull through the winter nights.

As times changed, the songs faded. The ribbons were folded away. The Mari’s knock grew quiet.

Until now…

Because traditions like this don’t disappear, not really. They rest. They sleep beneath the weight of modern life, waiting for the right hands to lift them back into the light.

And this winter, she rises again.

Her eyes shine. Her ribbons dance. Her bells sing softly in the cold air of Tonyrefail, because Steve and Angharad have rekindled the spark, lifting the Mari Lwyd back onto her feet, honouring the memory of Mrs Kiff, and reconnecting our village to a piece of Welsh magic shared by communities across the whole country.

The Mari Lwyd has come home,

and she brings with her the warmth of Wales itself.

So when the nights grow long and the air grows cold, listen carefully.

You may just hear the soft jingle of bells…

the playful tap from a creature stitched together with memory and wonder… and the laughter of a tradition returning to life.

If you see her, welcome her, for she carries not only mischief and song, but the shared heartbeat of villages across Wales.

Written by Angharad Spooner

As Mari Lwyd Cymru is based in Tonyrefail and our villages name literally translates in a dialect of Welsh used at the time to ‘Field of the Smithy’ possibly ‘Lay-Land of the Smithy’ and in a more modern Dialect ‘Sound of the Anvil’ the Anvil holds a lot of meaning to us.

The price to buy an old Anvil is pretty shocking and as a fan of 3D printing I thought I’d make my own. For those not into 3D printing this is going to get a bit nerdy, Sorry!

I found a few anvil designs, most to perfect, I wanted one that had some realistic looking age and wear to it so found a file on Thingyverse that was a 3D scan of a 150lb London Patern Anvil made by Hay-Budden in Brooklyn, New York over a hundred years ago. looking to print a larger Anvil, I resized the scan using stlscale.eu to the closest dimensions I could find to real size 180lb Hay-Budden which is around 720mm long and then split it into parts small enough for my printer (Creality K1 MAX) using printsplit.com.

As it will be going outside I wanted it substantial so printed with 6 outside layers and a 20% Gyroid infill, using almost 4KG of filament. Defiantly over the top but I felt worth it, down side was 104 hours on the printer!

Also wanting materials suitable for the weather (do not use PLA if its going outside!) I used PETG Filament and exterior grade epoxy glue to assemble, then finished with a Toughened Acrylic Primer and Paint, 4 or 5 coats of each.

I’ve been asked if I would make and sell these, easy answer is NO! sorry but with 120+ hours in print, assembly, finishing and painting I would have to charge way to much but if you have access to a 3D printer then I have linked a ZIP file below with all the files you will need. The files are free, all I ask is If you make one please send us some photos via our Contact Us page and I can share on here.

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The 3D Scan of the Anvil I made is from the now closed Hay-Budden Manufacturing. Co. Brooklyn. New York.

This Book contains the first known written record of the Mari Lwyd. now long out of copyright a scan of the book is available on the website Mari Downloads page.

In 1798, driven by his passion for the region and a dream of compiling a comprehensive Flora Cambrica, John Evans embarked on a remarkable journey to explore the rugged and remote terrain of North Wales. While rare was the scientist who dared venture into its uncharted landscapes, Evans set out to uncover its botanical secrets. Yet, his exploration went far beyond botany. A man of deep sentiment, Evans was captivated not only by the region’s stunning natural beauty but also by the unique customs and rich history of its people. His narrative, written as a series of engaging letters, draws inspiration from Arthur Aiken and Thomas Pennant. However, in contrast to Pennant, who focused on the noble families and their estates, Evans delves into the everyday lives of ordinary inhabitants providing a rare and intimate glimpse into their daily experiences, from the quirks of local customs and farming practices to charming anecdotes-like his own humorous account of requesting a shave from a local and the jubilant collective reaction (in the form of song and dance into the wee hours) that ensued his generous gratuity. For its time, Evans’ perspective is refreshingly grounded and detailed, offering readers a close-up view of North Wales that earlier travel literature had yet to achieve. This book is not just a travelogue; it’s insight into 18th-century North Wales, a captivating blend of geography, cultural observation, and historical reflection. Join John Evans on this extraordinary journey and discover the heart of a region that had then only recently become a fashionable travel destination.

Following the building of our first Mari Lwyd for Tonyrefail in over 70 years we have seen a few things that can be improved which had us thinking of some changes. The skull for ours was 3D printed so a redesign of the skull has taken place and we started printing

We where also asked to help a group who’s Mari had been lost by the people storing her and invited to take our Mari to an event in Cardiff, sadly we where not able to as the dates coincided with our first Tonyrefail event which also got me thinking that maybe building more than one???? we could have a spare and help others (our first Mari Alice is being retired after just one season)

Printing continued over Christmas, my printer running 24 hours a day making what is now both new Mari’s. there’s over a hundred hours printing per skull! then I thought about Mari’s I’ve seen used further afield, some using a Black Mari bathed in a Black cloak not the usual White so that got me thinking again. should I paint one black? nah! I’ll make another so when the second finished printing started the third so my printer ran pretty much 24 hours a day all over Christmas and New Year and now we have three new girls for Christmas 2026.

We have added a series of A4 sized drawings that can be downloaded here

We hope to have them available for the kids at events we attend and really hope we can have competitions around the Christmas and New Year holidays so keep an eye out on the Blog and on the Facebook page.

Welcome to our first Blog post on marilwyd.cymru

the Website and Blog where primarily created at the end of December 2025 as a home for The Tonyrefail Mari Lwyd and to record her mischief and mayhem as she strolls the streets of Tonyrefail but also as a resource of history and information on the Mari Lwyd in general.

We have had some teething problems, our webhost having major server issues and after many days of work creating the original website losing it completely. We have started rebuilding again and in coming weeks and months we will be adding a wealth of information so please come back soon or keep an eye on our Facebook page or drop us a message via our Contact Us page.