Mari Lwyd (or Y Fari Lwyd) is a uniquely Welsh pagan tradition that predates Christianity. Although typically associated with South Wales, it is celebrated annually on or close to January 13th in the small town of Dinas Mawddwy, located in the heart of Gwynedd in the north.
If you’re out at the pub celebrating with your Welsh friends – or any group of friends for that matter– someone will likely offer to make a toast at some point during the conversation. In Welsh, the way to say Cheers! is Iechyd da! (It is sometimes anglicised to Yaki da! or Yaki dah! but …
‘Have a good day!’ (or ‘Have a nice day!‘) is one of the most common ways in English to conclude a conversation or end a message on a positive note besides the various forms of goodbye. So, naturally, when an English person starts learning Welsh, it is also one of the first expressions he or she …
There is only one way to say Goodnight! in Welsh and that is Nos da! with nos meaning night and da meaning good. The expression good night and sleep well can be translated word for word from the English: Nos da a chysga’n dda. (informal)Nos da a chysgwch yn dda. (formal or plural) Good night …
Every language has its fair share of interesting idioms and sayings but some tend to be funnier than others, especially those whose figurative meaning seemingly has little, if anything to do with the actual meaning of the phrase. In this article, we’ve picked out ten funny Welsh idioms that will surely make you chuckle the …
One of my favourite things about Christmas is the songs and carols, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the Welsh language has not only its own versions of many of our popular English carols but also multiple songs of its own!
Welsh weather is known for being whimsical. One minute the sun might be shining and the next it could be pouring with rain. In fact, it isn’t unheard of to experience snow, wind, rain and sunshine all in the same day. In this article, we’ve listed all the most important weather related words and phrases …
If you’re visiting Wales but aren’t sure how to greet people, you’ve come to the right place! Here we cover five different ways of saying “hello” in Welsh, some of which will sound quite familiar to English ears! Pob lwc! 1. Helô A safe way of greeting people in Welsh is to use the very …
If you are celebrating Christmas in Wales this year and want to make the best use of your Welsh over the holiday season, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find a number of greetings, sayings and important vocabulary in Welsh to do with Christmas. Now there’s no excuse whatsoever to let your Cymraeg get rusty over the break! 😉
During the decade that I lived in Turin, I never imagined that years later, after settling in Wales, I would be co-hosting a ‘Shwmae Su’mae Day‘ in that very same city with an Italian woman who is studying Welsh!