Welsh Customs Cadi Ha and the Mari Lwyd

Welsh Customs – Cadi Ha and the Mari Lwyd

Teacher notes:

This resource is intended to support elements of the new Curriculum orders for Music and History in KS2. It provides a number of opportunities to deliver Curriculum Cymraeg and the ESDGC Identity and Culture theme. Rather than being built into a continuous unit, the activities in this resource can be dipped into and used / adapted as schools see fit or as part of a theme on Customs.

Resource Activities – an overview

Sing Cadi Ha!

·  This resource can be used to teach pupils how to sing Cadi Ha – a traditional Welsh folk song, popular also with Morris dances. This work is adapted from an original pack by ACCAC as part of their optional assessment materials for KS2 Music which you may well have in school.

·  It contains step by step lesson plans and accompanying powerpoint presentations highlighting words (in Welsh and English) and emphasis.

·  For support in the classroom, audio files including instrumental and sung versions of the song are included.

The Mari Lwyd Custom

·  This resource includes a powerpoint containing points for discussion and information on several events around South Wales.

·  An edited video clip of a 1960s Mari is available to contrast with the powerpoint – accompanying notes provide questions for discussion.

·  A document is available as an incentive for work with one of your partnership schools (nationally or internationally) to compare and share customs that occurred / are still occurring in the respective areas.

Promote the Mari

·  Advertising – A SMART Notebook gallery of Mari Lwyd related images has been provided to allow pupils the opportunity to design their own poster promoting an upcoming Mari Lwyd using relevant Literacy skills. A word document provides points to consider. This activity is excellent for group work at the IWB.

·  Newspaper report – This activity provides the resources for composing a newspaper report. The included report template can be used to record relevant information once children have watched the short Photostory of a recent Chepstow Mari Lwyd and there is also a short clip of a Welsh Border Morris side dancing.

Make your own Mari

·  The perfect way of celebrating Welsh culture and identity would be to create your own Mari Lwyd (to perform your own custom or as an artefact in your school library or ‘museum’).

·  This resource contains an instruction sheet for making a simple Mari (but could be edited if you have additional or different equipment to hand).

·  There is also a set of instructions in a jumbled order that could be used as part of a focus on instructional text.

·  If you were to perform your own Mari Lwyd, it would help if you could sing the ‘Can y Fari’ song as part of the ‘pwnco’. Inside the ‘Singing Can y Fari’ folder, you will find a ‘child friendly’ version of the song written especially for this resource (you will find there are many ‘grown up’ versions of the lyrics!) and a performance by children so that you and your class can hear how it is sung and learn the tune.

Border Morris Dancing

·  Contains a powerpoint giving a brief overview of Morris dancing with a focus on Welsh Border Morris.

·  A sheet containing some simple Morris moves gives you and your class the opportunity to design their own simple dances which could be part of a PE focus. A series of audio files of tunes used by a Border Morris side in Chepstow (played on accordion) could be used to match dances to.

·  Word and SMART Notebook files also contain ‘matching’ activities.

·  If you decided to create your own school Morris side (as an extension to your Country dancing work), pupils could design a kit and make their own sticks using the sheets provided.

Customs

·  Contains a powerpoint overview of Christmas and New Year customs in Wales as points for discussion.

·  A ‘make your own Calennig’ instruction sheet is provided for support.

Interrogating images

·  This resource contains 5 archive photos on the topic of ‘Mari Lwyd’ from the National Museum Wales. The powerpoint file can be used to focus on each one - use the icons to reveal pop up boxes containing ‘closed’ and ‘open’ questions and the worksheets to encourage children to develop their own questions and lines of enquiry.

Curriculum Areas to explore:

This resource contains several examples of how a study of Welsh customs can embrace many areas of the primary curriculum.

You can find some of those ideas along with many others below to extend your ‘theme’ on Welsh identity and culture through customs…

Language

·  Interview local historians (vid conferencing possibility if opportunities exist in your school) or link to a Museum to discuss customs. There is a small Mari Lwyd exhibit at St. Fagan’s and they book a professional dance group to perform the custom every year.

·  Report writing on the revival or of a performance from the past.

·  Poetry: add verses to the Mari Lwyd original piece (group/individual work).

·  Express opinions about customs – have they changed? Should they change?

·  Letter writing – writing to a friend or relative about what you saw.

·  What would the Mari Lwyd say if it could speak? Imagine you find a Mari Lwyd in a cellar or attic, what would it say?

Music

Cwricwlwm Cymreig – learners will be given opportunities to develop and apply their knowledge and understanding of the cultural, environmental, historical and linguistic characteristics of Wales.

·  Learners can perform and listen to music of Wales – including music from classical, traditional, folk and popular music and other traditions and cultures.

·  Listen to and appraise music from various traditions.

·  Record instruments playing the ‘Cadi Ha’ music

·  Record children singing the ‘Cadi ha’ song.

·  Research and perform ‘Plygain’ songs (BBC Website / Christmas traditions)

·  Study traditional welsh instruments – see Huw Roberts’ resource on NGfL Cymru.

ICT

·  Research on internet for more evidence about Welsh, UK, World Customs

·  Film performances of a custom by children using ‘Digital Blue’ movie cameras

·  Record performances on laptop / PC / MP3 recorder.

·  E mail other schools in Wales to see if they still go around singing Calennig on January 1st or to compare local customs and styles.

·  Presentation of researched customs.

·  Use the freely available Photostory 3 programme to create an information show on a Welsh custom – pictures, introduction, text – set up as a video with the children narrating.

Design and Technology

·  Design an outfit which could be worn in a re-enactment after having researched traditional costumes on the internet etc.

·  Design and build a ‘Mari Lwyd’ or any other pieces that accompany customs studied.

History

Cwricwlwm Cymreig – making local and Welsh history a focus of study.

Understand why people did things, what caused specific events.

Investigations into the history around them (pupils) and into the life of people at different times and places in the past.

What life was like for rich and poor people, men, women and children e.g. celebrations, pastimes.

·  Look at evidence: using old photographs, video clips

·  Look at the history/background of traditional folk instruments in Wales.

·  Consider history of traditional welsh costumes in Wales, e.g. different colours in different regions depending on locality – mussels to dye wool blue, red is not the only traditional colour!

·  Explore customs and traditions across Wales.

·  Ask any contacts in both North and South Wales to submit photographs and information about their custom for users to compare and contrast (particularly of dress, songs and text used in the custom).

Physical Education

·  Teach / develop dances with class.

·  Film the performance using ‘Digital Blue’ movie cameras and children evaluating their performances.

Geography

·  Try to find contacts in both North and South Wales (worth contacting a local folk club who will put you in touch with relevant people) and get them to submit photographs and information about their custom for users to compare and contrast (particularly of dress, songs and text used in the custom).

·  Pinpoint areas on a map of Wales that show areas that still practice customs and to see if particular customs are restricted to a particular area or county. This would be an unusual way of introducing GIS work and you could link additional information and images to your maps.

Possible areas to pin point:

·  Llangynwyd, near Maesteg

·  Pentyrch

·  Pencoed

·  Llanharry,

·  Cowbridge

·  Vale of Glamorgan,

·  Llantrisant

Useful websites:

www.clera.org - Society of traditional musical instruments

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/music/88/Nod%20Athro/01%20Offerynnau%20Traddodiadol%20Cymru.doc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/gogleddorllewin/safle/cerddoriaeth/pages/gwerin.shtml

www.welshfolkdance.org.uk
www.ladyllanover.org.uk

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/gwenynen.gwent/Home.htm

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/gwenynen.gwent/gruffydd.htm - Thomas Gruffydd

http://www.walesontheweb.org/cayw/guides/cy/169/

http://www.ceolas.org/ceolas.html

http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/

http://www.josef-bayer.de/landofsong/

http://www.welshtraditionalmusic.com/

NGfL Cymru resources mentioned in this document

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/cym/vtc-home/vtc-ks2-home/vtc-ks2-music

http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/music/88/index.html