Plygain

Carols

Some of the Plygain carols are thought to have been created to replace the traditional Latin Catholic mass after the 1588 Welsh translation of the Bible; Plygain carols were a mainstream stay of Welsh protestant worship until the mid-19th century. Peaking in popularity in the 17th century, author Charles Edwards (c. 1628 – c. 1691) published a book of carols called Llyfr Plygain gydag Almanac (Plygain Book with an Almanac) in 1682. The decline of the tradition declined in the mid-19th century was attributed to the rise of family gathering as an alternative Christmas-eve tradition and a 'Victorian' rebuff of the joyous celebrations which went with the Plygain. Some parishes had to abandon the practice after repeated incidences of drunk villagers disrupting the services.

Most carols were written down including the works of plygain composer by Huw Morys (1622–1709) and many families who had their own songs, passed down from generation to generation. Many of these are still sung today. In the 18th century a number of plygain were written by Jonathan Huws in his book Bardd y Byrddau, including Carol Plygain on the music of Gwêl yr Adeilad. Another key author in the 19th century was intellectual Gwallter Mechain. The poet Thomas Williams (c. 1769–1848), from the Llanfyllin area and Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa, who published several volumes of carols and plygain. In the 20th century, Canon Geraint Vaughan-Jones, a clergyman dedicated to preserving this tradition, published a collection of Plygain carols under the title Cyff Mawddwy, and this was republished by Lolfa Press in 1987 as Hen Garolau Plygain.

Plygain carols were often religious and philosophical poems, but often had their origins in popular folk songs. Some of the plygain meters are often complex similar to the ballad: often twenty or more verses. There is also a reference to the crucifixion of Christ in many – and are unusual in Western Europe this regard, as they do not focus solely on the birth of Christ. They are generally sung as three- or four-part harmonies, and it is considered unacceptable to sing the same carol twice at the same service. Traditionally the plygain carols were sung only by men, this tradition has relaxed in the last ten years – although one carol, the Carol y Swper, is still only be sung by men, in most places.

Often, the names of local farms or villages were incorporated into these songs, one notable example being 'Carol Wil Cae Coch' or, 'Wil Red Farm's Carol'.

Local traditions

In more rural areas, the locals would gather in local farmhouses to make a treacle toffee called cyflaith. In 1830s Marford, they decorate the farmhouse with winter foliage such as holly or mistletoe, and in 1774, in Dyffryn Clwyd, they lit the candles at two o'clock in the morning and sang and danced to harp music until the dawn service. In towns, or more populated areas, such as Tenby, crowds started the evening with a torch-lit procession, and the young men of the town would escort the local priest from his house to the church while the rest of the procession sang and blew cow-horns. Similar events were recorded in Laugharne and Llanfyllin.

Until recently, Plygain candles were lit throughout the church during the service. Candles were decorated with coloured paper and hoops woven by local congregants, and some parishes would fix them to brass candlesticks on the altar before Plygain began. In Dolgellau, the inside of the church was decorated with holly and coloured candles mounted in chandeliers. The ceremony was described as follows:

In Maentwrog, near Blaenau Ffestiniog, there was a very short sermon as part of the service, and the church was decorated with candles fixed to the top of posts, which were themselves fastened to pews. The carol-singers in the bell tower found it too dark to follow the service in their Book of Common Prayer, and brought their own candles so that they could follow the service properly. The rector did carry out a service, but kept it very short, possibly because the main attraction was the singing.

Elsewhere, in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, the congregation took a full communion during the plygain.

The National Library of Wales records that in Llanfyllin, a relatively rural area, the torches were replaced by candles, made by local chandlers and termed canhwyllau plygain ('Plygain Candles'). This was the case at many rural churches, as they would have no facilities for night-time services, so each person would often bring a candle themselves to help light the church during the hours of darkness. When they arrived at the church, it was lit with hundreds of candles placed only a couple of inches apart, making for a "brilliant" display. This sort of display was apparently a key part of many local plygain ceremonies, as it left a strong impression in the written records that remain.

Plygain today

The tradition continues in some areas of Wales today, especially in:

Royal Mail released an 18 pence stamp to commemorate Plygain in 1986. In 2006, a rare recording of a plygain was discovered at the British Library by Wyn Thomas of the University of Wales, Bangor. The collection was of recordings made by Lady Ruth Herbert Lewis from 1910 to 1913, and included a plygain recorded in Drefach, South Wales, further south than previously thought. The BBC have noted that the services still exist in Montgomeryshire as recently as 2012.

Some parishes have incorporated Plygain observances into celebrations of the pre-Julian calendar Welsh New Year on the 12th of January.