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Traditional Welsh Christmas and New Year celebrations have changed a great deal over the years. Although we continue to celebrate in style, many old Welsh traditions and customs have disappeared. Until the late 19th century, Christmas remained a relatively low key affair in Wales with the greatest celebrations being reserved for the New Year. On Christmas Day (25th December) itself, a 'plygain' carol service would be held between 3am-6am in the local church, and this custom continues in some parts of Wales (notably in Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire) to this day. The Plygain carols are very old and traditionally sung by men without musical accompaniment. The remainder of the day would be spent eating and drinking as well as taking part in a number of games and sports, including hunting.

26 December - Boxing Day

The day after Christmas, is so named because Christmas charity collection boxes in churches were opened and distributed to the poor. Boxing Day was also usually reserved for hunting and similar pastimes. These days, sporting fixtures are popular on Boxing Day, and number of places around the coast in Wales have organised swimming events on Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.

In parts of rural Wales, 'hunting the wren' ceremonies were particularly popular on Boxing Day and Twelfth Night. After catching the wren, its body would be placed in a small box decorated with ribbons and carried from house to house. Another similar custom associated with New Year (notably in Glamorgan) was the 'Mari Lwyd' (lit. 'Grey Mary'). A horse's skull would be decorated with ribbons and carried from door to door. A number of verses would be sung by the party, before the householder would respond and allow the 'Mari' to enter the house. This tradition continues on a small scale in some parts of Wales.

This custom of visiting houses was particularly important on New Year's Day (1st January). Children would awake early and go from house to house to collect 'calennig' - usually gifts of small change in return for singing a New Year greeting. On New Year’s Eve (31st December) and New Year’s Day, adults would also visit their neighbours when a wassail bowl, similar to a punch bowl, would be filled with sugar, fruit, spices and beer and passed around the party. The custom of wassailing was also carried out on Twelfth Night (the evening of 5 January), which marked the end of the Christmas and New Year festivities.

Most people in Wales are still careful to take down their Christmas decorations on or before this date. It should be noted, however, that old New Year or 'Hen Galan' is celebrated on 13 January in the Gwaun Valley, Pembrokeshire. This is due to the fact that the local population retained the date of the new year from the old 'Julian' calendar, while the rest of Britain moved over to the 'Gregorian' calendar in 1752!