Easter in Wales is a time of tradition, renewal, and community, with customs that have been passed down for generations. Across West Wales in particular, locals have long celebrated Easter with a mix of religious rituals, seasonal festivities, and fascinating folklore.
If you’re planning a stay at a Pembrokeshire holiday cottage over Easter, here are some Welsh traditions to make your stay extra special.
The Sunday of Flowers
Palm Sunday in Wales is called Sul y Blodau, or the Sunday of Flowers. As well as its religious significance at the beginning of Easter celebrations, it was seen as the start of spring, with lots of rituals around the theme of renewal.
One of the most cherished Easter customs in Wales is the tradition of visiting churchyards on Sul y Blodau to clean and decorate graves with fresh flowers. This tradition remains popular today across Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and Carmarthenshire, connecting families to their loved ones while celebrating the beauty of springtime in Wales.
Traditionally, many people also wore new clothes as part of Sul y Blodau celebrations, while figs were often eaten to celebrate the flowering of the fig tree.
Clapping for Eggs
Egg clapping used to be a traditional part of the Easter holidays for children growing up, particularly in Anglesey. Ahead of Easter, children would go around local farms with a clapper – a simple instrument with bits of wood that clapped when shaken – and recite a rhyme in return for eggs. It is somewhat similar to the New Year’s tradition of Calennig.
As time passed, some communities kept the tradition going, clapping and singing at neighbours’ doors in return for a chocolate egg.
No Working on Good Friday
Good Friday (or Y Groglith) is an important day in Easter celebrations, particularly as a day of reflection. In Tenby, long before official Bank Holidays were introduced, it was routine for businesses to close and for streets to be almost empty.
Such was the importance of peace and reflection that many people would walk to church barefoot so as not to disturb the Earth.
Making Christ’s Bed
One of the most notable Welsh traditions on Good Friday is ‘making Christ’s bed’. Children would gather reeds from riverbanks, weave them into a figure representing Christ and attach it to a wooden cross. They would then place the figure in a quiet field or pasture to rest peacefully.
This unique tradition further symbolises the importance of peace, faith, and remembrance during Easter in Wales.
Climbing Mountains on Easter Monday
Across Wales on Easter Money (Llun y Pasg), people would head off early in the morning to climb to the top of the nearest mountain to watch the sunrise and celebrate the resurrection of Christ by seeing the first light of the day.
The people of Llangollen in Denbighshire used to go one step further by performing three somersaults on the apex of Dinas Bran, although this understandably fell out of custom some time ago!
In other areas of Wales, people would take a bowl of water with them in order to see the reflection of the sun dance on the surface.
The Game of Cnapan
Sports have always been a part of national celebrations, and in West Wales, the Celtic game of cnapan was once a mainstay of Easter traditions.
Cnapan was a ball game where the men from local parishes would all compete. It involved getting a slippery wooden ball, often soaked overnight in animal fat or oil, back to your end (often a parish church) by any means necessary.
Cnapan was only ever passed down orally, and rules were never written down. However, it’s believed the game, with its mixture of large players throwing and tackling, and fleet-footed players running through opponents, was an early precursor to modern-day rugby, considered by many as the Welsh national sport.
Traditional Easter Feasts in Wales
Of course, no celebration would be complete without some lovely feasts! Before modern Easter dinners, Welsh families would prepare traditional foods to celebrate the occasion, including:
- Salted lamb or mutton – Symbolising sacrifice.
- Fig cakes – A religious symbol and also to celebrate the flowering of the figs at the start of Spring.
- Laverbread (bara lawr) – A nutritious seaweed dish often eaten with oatcakes.
- Welsh cakes & bara brith – Sweet treats enjoyed throughout the Easter weekend.
Food has always been a big part of Easter celebrations in Wales, bringing families together to break the fast of Lent.
Enjoy a Traditional Easter Holiday
Make the most of your Easter holidays with a traditional Welsh cottage. With beautiful properties in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, this is the perfect way to enjoy this unique time of year.
