Today Iād like to share a new song from Adwaith, it came out last week. They are a very successful Welsh-language girls band from Carmarthen in southwest Wales. The fact that they are a girls band feels important, despite Iām aware that one of them has said that they didnāt really think of themselves specifically as such when starting the band and didnāt go into it with the mission of being a girls band, but since people were stressing that a lot when talking about them, they soon realised that really are relatively few women on the Welsh music scene. They are also actively involved in promoting women in Welsh music.
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āAdwaithā means āreactionā in Welsh. According to the members, one of their mums asked what the word āreactionā is in Welsh and they ended up thinking that would be a great name for a band. They make indie pop/rock/post-punk music. The group consists of Hollie Singer (vocals and guitar), Gwenllian Anthony (bass, keys and mandolin) and Heledd Owen (drums). Hollie and Gwenllian were friends since early childhood and formed the band together and Heledd joined later.Ā
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I donāt remember exactly now but I think I first heard them on Cymru FM (which is not to be confused with BBC Radio Cymru; Cymru FM is an online radio station which for the most part just plays music). In any case it was summer 2018 because I remember I first heard them around the time when I found out I failed my high school final exams. š Until now, they have released two full-length albums and played in many different countries.Ā
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This very energetic song is a single from their upcoming third album, which is going to be a double record and said to be their most ambitious release so far. It sounds very exciting and Iām really looking forward to it. Hollie Singer said that this song is about a reconnection with oneās homeland and finding a sense of belonging.Ā
Last month, I shared with you a song from Carcharorion – a Welsh electronic music duo consisting of Gruff Pritchard and Huw Cadwaladr. And, if you read that post, you might recall that I mentioned Gruff Pritchardās solo project, Moddion, and how much I enjoyed listening to his debut EP which came out last August. So I thought Iād finally share something from it. It seems quite underrated because, to my knowledge, even the Welsh-language music world wasnāt talking very much about it, unless perhaps some mini blogs as weird and niche as mine so I didnāt see that. šĀ
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Gruff Pritchard is originally from Caernarfon but based in Cardiff. He is probably best known for being the guitarist and vocalist and one of the founding members of Yr Ods, a five-piece indie/pop band who have been very successful on the Welsh-language music scene and so far Iāve shared one song by them, from their concept album Iaith y Nefoedd. As far as I know, Gruff has also been an actor.Ā
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Moddionās debut EP is called Golau Cyfarwydd, and as I mentioned in the Carcharorion post, it has a distinct sound from both Carcharorion and Yr Ods, although itās also definitely not dissimilar from the latter. The whole EP is written and produced by Gruff himself, and released on his and Griff Lynchās record label, Lwcus T. And you guys probably know by now, since Iāve said it so often, that I always really appreciate and respect both musical versatility (which is a very common thing to find among Welsh artists) as well as albums which are largely created by one individual, as it gives you a more coherent sense of who they are and what theyāre all about, so to say. Purely musically itās also very much my thing. Itās very deep, reflective, just a little bit quirky, decidedly melancholic and dark-sounding, but definitely not devoid of warmth and light and far from depressing. In fact quite comforting in a cosy sort of way and, well, familiar, yet different. š For whatever reason, it gives me a strong Scandinavian vibe, so I feel tempted to say that itās like a mix of hiraeth and hygge.Ā
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As for the title song that I want to share with you, I have to say that I surprised myself very massively and positively when it comes to it, because I was actually able to write a translation of it by ear. Itās probably quite crappy, and I am sure that it has some mistakes, or things that I could have translated better into English (after all, neither is my native language), and there likely are some bits that I misunderstood, but it should be enough for you to get an idea of what the song deals with lyrically.Ā
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Dear friend,Ā
Where does time go?Ā
Iām on my back,Ā
Youāre in my head,Ā
Shall we have a chat when we get back in order? [?]Ā
Last month I shared with yāall a song by Yr Eira, a Welsh indie rock band fronted by Lewys Wyn, who is the younger brother of Griff Lynch (my new faza peep). Sywel Nyw is Lewysās another project. As part of which, in 2021 he released one single a month, in collaboration with various fellow Welsh musicians. Traeth y Bore is the ninth of those singles, written together with Endaf Emlyn, who is a very important figure on the Welsh-language music scene. He was one of the pioneers of Welsh-language psychedelic music (psychedelic-sounding stuff is something that a LOT of Welsh bands do nowadays, by the way), and released the first Welsh-language concept album (Salem).Ā
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The lyrics of this song were written by Griff Lynch, and allude clearly and deliberately to Endaf Emlynās debut album, 1973ās Hiraeth. I happen to have a bit of a sentiment to this album. I found out about it thanks to Plu (the alt-folk trio of siblings Elan, Marged and Gwilym Rhys, a lot of whose music has been featured on here), as they did a cover version of Dwynwen which is originally an Endaf Emlyn song from the Hiraeth album. Also the time when I first discovered and listened to Hiraeth was just a really cool time in my life so I simply associate it with that too. And, while Iām not that well-versed in all the lyrics nor do I understand all of them, I Donnāt know every single word here either, I can definitely see the connection specifically to Dwynwen. Musically this song was also meant to have a similar feel to Endafās music and imo it absolutely does. I like this warm and kind of serenely uplifting quality it has, and as you may know by now, I always like me a good song thatās related to the sea in some way.Ā
For today I picked another song by Y Bandana – the Welsh pop rock band formed by brothers SiĆ“n and Tomos Owens, their cousin Gwilym Bowen Rhys and his friend Robin Llwyd Jones, which disbanded in 2016. – It comes from their sophomore album, Bywyd Gwyn. I actually did a translation of this song, but was unsure of too many things and whether I got them right, so am not going to share it. But I can say that, as far as I can tell, this song describes the way one feels, mentally and physically the morning after a wild night of drinking or other partying. Thereās quite a lot of interesting and vivid descriptions there, but the one from which the song takes its title is how the lyrical subject feels that the sawing blade is sawing into his head, which hurts to even imagine! I can kinda sorta relate, because while I donāt drink alcohol at all anymore, I get migraines, and waking up with one can sometimes have a fair bit in common with having a hangover, I think. šĀ
Yesterday I promised to feature another song by Casi & The Blind Harpist today, and here it is. Such a beautiful song, very interesting musically and mature lyrically!Ā
Although Iād already featured two (or four, as they are in both a Welsh and an English version) songs by Casi in the past years – Dyffryn/Rooted and Nefolion, I would really like to share something else by her now. And while, strictly speaking, over here itās still more like an afternoon in April, I think this beautiful, cinematic-sounding song feels very appropriate all round. It comes from her EP Sunflower Seeds. For those unfamiliar with Casi and her work, she is a singer, songwriter and poet hailing from the Bangor area in North Wales, in the Eryri/Snowdonia mountains. I absolutely love her music and find it appealing on so many different levels but also just plain fascinating, it really resonates with me in an oddly powerful way. Itās so intense, dark, and āhiraethfulā.Ā
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I can already say that tomorrow Iām going to share one more song by her. šĀ
Todayās song is a very interesting arrangement of an old, Welsh love song, for the triple harp, trumpet and drums, coming from Llio Rhydderchās album Carn Ingli. Definitely not the first time Iām sharing something from it. This tune has been performed by so many different artists in so many different styles that Iām quite surprised that I still havenāt shared any version of it before, or maybe I just donāt recall it. It is more widely known as Cariad Cyntaf (First Love) and the words to it are from the perspective of a young man who is in love, which presumably is unrequited or somehow otherwise complicated.Ā
Another Welsh-language song for today. It comes from a band that no longer exists, but is a relatively new discovery to me. One of the members of this group, as well as quite a few other bands with a similar, psychedelic rock sound, was Dafydd Owain. I have been familiar with one of them – Omaloma – for years, and since I really like their music, I featured one of their most popular songs – Aros o Gwmpas – in the past, but it was only Pluās latest album, Tri, which features Dafydd Owain on the electric guitar and bass, that brought his other musical endeavours, including Jen Jeniro, to my attention. Aside from the aforementioned bands, he had also been a member of Palenco (together with LlÅ·r Pari, also from Omaloma and Jen Jeniro) and Eitha Tal Ffranco, and last year released a great solo album called Uwch Dros y Pysgod, with Elan from Plu on backing vocals .Ā
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Dolphin Pinc a Melyn is Jen Jeniroās 2010 single, and as far as Iām aware it is/was one of their more popular songs.Ā
For today, I picked a song from a really interesting electronic music project from Wales that I only discovered last week. I had once heard their remix of Hiraeth by Plu,on Radio Cymru I believe, but itās only recently that I got to acquaint myself more closely with their music. One half of Carcharorion (the other being Huw Cadwaladr) is Gruff Pritchard, who is probably best known in the Welsh-language music world for being a member of Yr Ods. Which name may sound familiar also to those of you who are not so much into Welsh music scene but have read one of my recent posts in which I wrote about my latest major faza on Griff Lynch,, Yr Ods frontman. Aside from being bandmates, Gruff and Griff have a record label called Lwcus T. It was when looking through music released via Lwcus T that I came across Moddion – Gruff Pritchardās solo project – and his absolutely captivating debut EP that came out last year. I really enjoyed listening to it, came away with an āI-want-more-of-thisā feeling and have listened to it a good few more times since. Iāll definitely be featuring Moddion in my song of the day series as well at some point, and I really hope weāll be able to hear more music from him. And soon after discovering that, I came across Carcharorion, whose music is very distinct from Moddion or Yr Ods, occupying a different region of the electronic music spectrum, but I found it no less interesting.Ā
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Carcharorion means prisoners in Welsh (I like how dark and intimidating and evocative this word feels and how it sounds like some sort of ancient curse š ). I believe they used to be known as Carcharorion Riddim, which mustāve been inspired by a Geraint Jarman song of the same name. Aside from their original tracks, they also make remixes of other Welsh artistsā songs.Ā
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This one samples a beautiful traditional lullaby called Si Hei Lwli, sung by SiĆ¢n James. I am an absolute sucker for clever and tasteful combinations of folk and electronics, as well as for lullabies, so I totally fell in love with it! A little fun fact: thereās even a slight Polish connection to this song. The speech synth which says āCarcharorion Riddimā the English way at the beginning, is a voice called Brian, originally produced by a Polish company Ivona Software, now part of Amazon since many years. Another of Carcharorionās songs also uses Ivonaās Welsh voice Gwyneth. I would know things like that, being Polish and blind, lol.Ā
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SiĆ¢n James has been featured on my blog quite frequently, but not Si Hei Lwli, so I thought Iād share her original version too. Itās a very easy song so I was able to translate it for those of you who donāt speak Welsh. The phrase āsi hei lwliā doesnāt really mean anything though, itās just a kind of nonsensical vocalisation as is common with lullabies all over the world, itās pronounced āSee hi loo-leeā as youāll be able to hear.Ā
The last time I wrote, I shared a song by Griff Lynch, and mentioned in that post that both of his siblings are also musicians. And while Iād already shared something by Yr Eira – the indie rock band fronted by Lewys Wyn, Griffās little brother – in my blog’s early days, I thought Iād like to share more of their music, as that was really long ago, and they are really good. Oh, and by the way, in the post featuring Griffās song I wrote that Iād shared a few songs by Yr Eira, but when I actually had a look, to my surprise it seems like it was only one, called Suddo, you can check it out here if youād like.Ā
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Yr Eira (which means the snow in English) formed in North Wales, and aside from the aforementioned Lewys Wyn on vocals and guitar, the group also consists of bassist Trystan Thomas, drummer Guto Howells and guitarist Ifan Davies (who for people acquainted with the Welsh-language music scene will probably be better known as the frontman of another very popular indie band called Swnami, and I have featured several of Swnamiās songs in my song of the day series as well).
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I picked one of the singles from Yr Eiraās second and most recent full-length album Map Meddwl (Mind Map), which came out in 2020. The song was co-written by Lewys Wyn and his long-time friend and housemate and fellow musician Gwyn Rosser, who is the lead vocalist in the band Los Blancos, whom we can also hear here. As Lewys has said himself, itās a song about brotherhood and their friendship over the years. I think itās a really cool song. I wanted to do a translation of it for you and even actually wrote one, but, as you guys know is so often the case with me, being merely a Welsh learner, in the end I decided not to share it because I had doubts about quite a few bits and whether I got them right. So youāll have to do without one, Iām afraid. šĀ
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The video for this song was directed by Griff Lynch.Ā
So, Iāve got some big news for youā¦ This past February, I got a new faza! I totally didnāt see it coming. And the funny thing is that, actually, Iāve been familiar with some of my new faza subject’s music for years, if on a rather superficial level, yet the faza happened only now, and so unexpectedly. And as you may guess from the title of this post, my new faza peep is Griff Lynch. If the name sounds familiar to you and youāre not that much into Welsh music, it might be because I actually wrote a song of the day post featuring a song by his band – Yr Ods – over a month ago. Theyāre these people about whom I was so relieved that theyāre not originally from Cardiff. š Anyway, I seriously wonder how many fazas on Welsh people Iāll have in my whole life, haha. I think itās interesting though that Griff is my first major faza peep who is not folky at all. I got the faza on him, or realised that I had it, not long after writing that post about Yr Ods. Iām still having the initial faza peak, which obviously feels great. And another funny, and weird, thing about this faza, is that, as you might be aware, my previous major faza peep before Griff was Gwilym Bowen Rhys, and while in the past, the way fazas worked for me was that the previous one had to fade into the background for the new one to replace it, Gwilym just hasnāt faded as of yet, which Iām really happy about, so Iām basically having two major dominant fazas at once! I didnāt know it was possible for my brain to handle without exploding or something.Ā
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While I have known Yr Odsā music for a long time, because they have been a very successful band on the Welsh-language music scene and released some songs that have pretty much the status of modern classics there, prior to developing the faza on Griff, I had absolutely no idea that he has also made quite a handful of solo singles. Like Yr Odsā music, it is also pop, very much electronic, very easily accessible at first glance but also ambitious and quirky at the same time, and often dealing with dark themes, disguised under quite cheerful-sounding melodies. But despite this similarity, itās immediately apparent that itās totally its own thing and feels very different from Yr Ods.Ā
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As you will know if you read the post I wrote about Yr Ods, Griff is based in Cardiff, but is originally from North Wales, specifically the Bangor area. Aside from being a musician, he is also a film director. He has directed short films and documentaries, and lots of music videos for various Welsh artists. He also used to be a presenter on S4C (the Welsh-language TV channel) and BBC Radio Cymru. Griffās siblings – Lewys and Casi Wyn – are both musicians as well, which I mention because both of their music has been featured in my song of the day series, and prior to this whole faza thing I had no idea they were related. Lewys is the frontman of Welsh-language indie rock band Yr Eira, several of whose songs I shared on here, I think in the first year of my blogās existence and whose music I like a lot. Lewys also has an electronic music project called Sywel Nyw, as part of which he collaborates with various other artists, and that is some amazing music too, which Iām sure Iāll feature on here in the future as well. Casi is best known for her solo project called Casi & the Blind Harpist, which I absolutely love and have loved for years. One song by Casi I have shared on here relatively recently (less than a year ago) is this heavenly piece called Nefolion (Celestial Beings) which, coincidentally, was released on Griffās record label – Lwcus T Records. –Ā
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Yr Enfys is Griffās most recent single from 2022. I really like how it sounds happy and care-free on the surface, but is actually sad, and thereās something quite cute about it. I canāt do a literal translation of it because I donāt understand every single word, but I believe I have a pretty good idea of what it is about so I can just write a little about that so that you will know too. Basically, itās about how the grass is not always greener on the other side. It tells the story of a girl called Eleri, who once saw a colourful and bright rainbow. She decided to go to the end of it, thinking sheād find gold there, and become a millionaire. She walks all the way, through fields and forests, is clearly very eager and determined and must be full of unwavering optimism about the whole idea. But, predictably, once she gets there, she realises thereās no gold. Hereās the song.Ā
Todayās song comes from a Welsh alternative rock group which existed in the late 1990s until early 2000s. Misnamed after the movie Zabriskie Point, the group consisted of former school friends and was formed in Carmarthen. They released their debut album on their own label, and later signed a deal with Ankst – a prominent Welsh independent label which also released the earlier albums by Gorkyās Zygotic Mynci, for example. – The first album that Zabrinski released via that label in 2001, titled Yeti, was fairly successful in their home country as far as Iām aware. And this song I want to share with you today comes from yeti. As you may know by now, I like music that is weird, in one way or another, whether itās musically or lyrically or both, or otherwise somehow unconventional or quirky, and so I ended up liking Zabrinskiās music quite easily when I first came across them on my journey of Welsh-language music discovery. The first song I ever heard by them was this one. I just saw it on some Welsh music playlist and it got my attention right away solely because it had āMishiā in the title (that is how I often call Misha, although I pronounce it MEE-shee) so I just had to check it out, and subsequently ended up acquainting myself with all of their other music as well. I have no idea what Mishi Brei is supposed to mean, or even if itās supposed to mean anything specific at all, but itās a cool song regardless.Ā
I guess I havenāt shared anything not folky in Welsh in a while, so thought I would today. Yr Ods (which simply translates to The Odds in English) are a psych pop band from Cardiff, and I discovered them quite early on in my Welsh-language music journey, thanks to BBC Radio Cymru if I remember correctly. I sure have a lot to thank BBC Radio Cymru for, come to think of it. And Iāve liked Yr Odsā music right away. Iāve been listening more to them recently though, as this year (and the last quarter of last year) I seem to be going through some sort of psychedelic phase and listen to a lot of more or less weird music with a psychedelic feel to it. For some reason I feel particularly drawn to their last album, Iaith y Nefoedd (Language of Heaven), which is a concept album created alongside a novella by the same title written by Llwyd Owen and commissioned by the band. Ceridwen is a single from this album and I think my favourite song on it.Ā
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The book is something like a dystopian thriller set in Wales at two different points in the future, starting in 2026 I believe when the country goes bankrupt after Brexit and Welsh speakers are being persecuted. As a result of that and the apocalypse that ensues, the main character in the book – a writer called T. Lloyd Lewis – becomes the leader of a cult thatās built around the Welsh language, kind of twisting the meaning of a popular Welsh saying that Welsh is the language of heaven. The album doesnāt follow the book very closely, but being part of the same project, theyāre of course still very much related. Iāve never actually read the book, as I guess Iām still not a fluent enough Welsh speaker for this kind of thing, plus generally thrillers and sci fi are totally not my thing, though the whole language as a means of salvation thing sounds very interesting as an idea for a book. Ā Iām curious who Ceridwen is, and if she has anything to do with the mythical Ceridwen, if only perhaps on a symbolical/metaphorical level or something like that, because the mythical Ceridwen is one of my favourite characters of all mythologies. I think I wrote about that on here before though. So maybe some day Iāll feel brave enough to give this novella a go. The album though, musically, is very much my thing.Ā
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Yr Ods is a four-piece band consisting of Griff Lynch, Gruff Pritchard, Osian Howells and Rhys Aneurin. Actually, I only found out today that theyāre from Cardiff, which made me feel really bad about myself and my self-proclaimed ability to identify peopleās accents, both in Welsh and in English. I may be just a learner who isnāt even British, let alone Welsh, and has never been to Wales, but I could have sworn that they sing in quite typically northwestern Welsh accents. I couldnāt come to terms with my failure, so I kept frantically digging through Google to find evidence supporting my theory, and – phew, turns out thereās nothing wrong with my hearing, after all! – They are based in Cardiff, and formed in Aberystwyth in college, but most if not all of the members are actually from the north. That is a relief. š Go Bibiel! I feel so much better now, this made my day, lol.Ā
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The song is quite easy vocab-wise and its lyrics are available online, so Bibielz were also able to write a translation, which makes me feel even better, as itās so rare that Iām successful at translating Welsh songs into English. I understood lots of little bits of this song even before trying to write this translation though, so that was very encouraging. I really do hope I didnāt screw up too much, but, as always, keep in mind that Iām not a native speaker of either language so there might be mistakes.Ā
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You and IĀ
And our feet in soilĀ
Between longing and imperfect memoryĀ
While youāre searching for the stars, Iāve nested in my place,Ā
Holding on to white lies for your sakeĀ
Turn on your little lightĀ
Pull the blanket over your headĀ
Youāre never too young and youāre never too oldĀ
TO hide in your reading listĀ
While youāre searching for the stars, Iāve nested in my place,Ā
Holding on to white lies for your sakeĀ
Oh Ceridwen, youāre a starĀ
Go fill up your head, oh CeridwenĀ
Donāt worry, in no time, you will have crossed Ā
Today I want to share with you an old Welsh song that I really love. It is basically all about how thereās no place like home, and I wholeheartedly agree with it, even though my perspective is probably different than that of the lyrical subject of this song since he sounds like someone very well-travelled who enjoys being able to come home at the end of his journey, whereas I am, as most of you will know, a semi-hermit who rarely even feels the need to go far from home, so I think both these things might feel a bit different. . It was written by a popular Welsh 19th century poet called Richard Davies, or Mynyddog. I really wanted to translate this song for you guys, since I do understand a lot of it, and I actually did, but in the end decided it was not particularly good and may have had a lot of errors. But then I donāt think itās the kind of song where you absolutely need to understand all of the words to actually get the message and the feel of the song, or all the more to enjoy it, as I think itās message is very clear and universal. Itās from the perspective of someone who has travelled the world, been to many countries, but still, he thinks that no place is quite as cosy, comfortable, warm and pleasant as home, where you can find shelter from the winds and the storms and be welcomed and surrounded by family and loved ones, as well as comfortingly familiar furniture.Ā
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What makes me even more fond of this song is that the first time I heard it it was by Gwilym Bowen Rhys (one of my faza peeps), and while Iāve heard several more versions since then, I thought Iād like to share with you this first one I heard. Gwilym performed it in the British Embassy in Paris in 2018, as part of the launch of the LāOrient Interceltic Festival that takes place each summer in Brittany and brings together all the Celtic nations with their languages and cultures.Ā
I feel like I havenāt shared anything by Georgia Ruth in a long time so Iād like to do that today. This really beautiful and atmospheric song comes from this Welsh folk singer, songwriter and harpistās album Week of Pines.Ā
For today I chose another piece by Welsh triple harp player Llio Rhydderch. It is a traditional piece composed by David Owen, a Welsh harpist who lived in the 18th century on a farm called y Garreg Wen (The White Rock). The tradition claims that he composed this air on his deathbed. There are also words that were set to it many years later that talk about him playing the harp before death and parting with his family. I think the tune already sounds very characteristic and striking on its own in my opinion, but Llio Rhydderch, as is always the case with her arrangements, makes it sound even more beautiful.Ā
Today Iād like to share something by Gwilym Bowen Rhys, and I picked a song from his debut solo album – O Groth Y Ddaear (From the Earthās Womb). Itās about a young boy who is searching for love, but so far has had no success. In other renditions of this song Iāve heard, the boy also sings that he owns a lot of land and riches, cattle etc. Gwilymās version is quite different though because he has merged the two traditional verses into one, and written two additional verses of his own, as he often likes to mix the old with the new, and it works really well. One interesting thing that I read about this song is that it travelled together with Welsh Calvinistic Methodist missionaries all the way to the Khasi Hills, who adapted it to be a hymn titled Bryniau Cassia (Khasi Hills). Itās cool how folk music (even if disguised as hymns) can bridge two cultures that are so distant from each other geographically. The English translation below comes from Gwilymās website, where you can also find the Welsh words.Ā
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Well I am a young lad, almost twenty-one
If I have a loose grip, I’m steady on my feet
I’m like the old fisherman who walks by the lake’s edge
Seeing lots of fish but unable to catch any
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Well I am a young lad that’s thirsting for some love
and for the tasty barley juice and for the sweet lips of a girl
But for all the short term pleasures by the bar
My soul is still searching for a heart that I can love
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Well I am a young lad that’s busy on the meadow Shepherding my feelingS and my foolish desires
I spend my days planting seeds on the slopes
But, for the life of me, I cannot plant the seed of love
With Christmas itself already over and New Yearās Eve coming very soon, I thought Iād like to share with you a Welsh traditional song that fits in really well with both Christmas and New Yearās. Originally this tune belongs to a Welsh winter carol that goes all the way back to the 16th century and, just as its title suggests, are about New Yearās Eve, and how nice it is to spend it at home with your family, drinking ale and singing and playing the harp by the fire. Currently though, most people know it as the English Christmas carol Deck the Halls. I myself only learned sometime at the beginning of this year that Deck the Halls actually has Welsh origins, until then I associated it more with Norway rather than Wales, simply because the Norwegian anthem begins very similarly hahaha.Ā
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I am sharing Llio Rhydderchās lovely and cheery arrangement of it, with whimsical and humourous variations, coming from her album Enlli. Iām pretty sure that all my readers know Llio Rhydderch by now, as Iāve shared lots of her music on here, but just in case you donāt, Iāll just say that she is a traditional harper from Anglesey in North Wales who plays the Welsh triple harp.Ā
Even though itās still only a day left until Christmas, as always, here in Poland as well as some other European countries, we start our Christmas celebrations already on Christmas Eve, so it feels very much like Christmas by now for me. Therefore, Iād like to wish all of my readers who celebrate, a very happy Christmas. šĀ
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I bet youāll all soon become drowned under an avalanche of Christmas wishes, and everyone will wish you all the best, and I thought that itās actually a little pointless to just keep repeating the same things and phrases over and over, every year, because if you keep repeating yourself like that annually, or repeating what others have already said, the risk of it all sounding empty and cliche is huge, even if you come up with something that still manages to sound reasonably fresh and original in your own opinion. And Iām finding that my tolerance for all the Christmas cliche is steadily diminishing every year, so I would really like to contribute as little as possible to it. So instead of writing all that I wrote in my Christmas post last year, and the year before, and what countless other people will be wishing you this Christmas, Iāll just say that I wish you all of that good stuff people will be wishing you, and all of what you wish for yourselves this Christmas, except I wish it for yāall even more strongly. š Please do let me know what youāre doing for Christmas this year if you feel like sharing, and if itās anything different than usual.Ā
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As for me, weāre very literally conservative people here so weāre not doing much different than last year. And, as far as I am concerned, thatās great. When I was a kid, we often celebrated Christmas Eve at my Mumās family and it was always so crowdy and lasted so long, because someone would usually be late and weād have to wait for them with all the food getting cold and everyone growing more impatient by the minute. Now, we celebrate at our own house and itās just my parents, my siblings and myself. And Misha and Jocky. š It may feel a bit awkward and quiet in comparison, but we all seem to like it better this way. This year was originally supposed to be a bit different because Olek said heād come with his girlfriend, but in the end sheās had to change her plans, which I canāt help but feel massively relieved about (not that I have any issues with her personally). We have mostly the same food as we always do, and weāll be going to midnight Mass, and then visiting extended family tomorrow or on second Christmas.Ā
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Traditionally, Iād like to share with you some additional, Christmassy song of the day. I had already planned what Christmassy song I wanted to share today at the beginning of Advent, but then when I actually looked for it yesterday in preparation for this post, to my huge disappointment, I realised that it must have been taken down from YouTube since last year! I do have it in my personal collection but I guess it wouldnāt be okay to share it like that. So I suddenly found myself in quite a conundrum as for what to share! Of course, there are many Christmas songs and carols that I like, but on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas, I usually like to share something that I not just like, but actually love. And I guess by now Iāve shared most of those. But, finally, I was reminded about a beautiful album that came out just this month. Itās Welsh, and itās a collaboration between jazz pianist Huw Warren and Angharad Jenkins, who has been featured many many times before on this blog, as part of the DNA duo together with her harpist mother – Delyth Jenkins. – I think of Angharad primarily as a fiddle player, but on this album, we also hear her sing.
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The album is called Calennig, which refers to the traditional Welsh celebration of the new year. People, I think especially children, go around all the houses and sing verses, in exchange for little gifts (which are also called calennig), such as money or a special kind of calennig apple, or other such. The whole album is a very interesting mix of traditional and jazz influences and there are many gems on it, but it also includes one Christmas carol that I think I can call my favourite Welsh Christmas carol, because I donāt know a more beautiful one.Ā
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For one thing, it has such a majestic, intriguing, archaic-sounding melody. A lot of Welsh carols sound very simple to me, so when I first heard this one earlier this year, I found it quite striking. And the other thing is that, from what Iāve heard, this is the only pre-reformation Welsh carol that has survived to our times. So yeah, it is actually Catholic. And this warm, jazzy, slightly experimental Iād say, given that this is a hymn, arrangement of it further intensifies this songās own, natural flavour.Ā
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I couldnāt find a literal translation of it, and didnāt dare try to do one myself, but I can at least tell you a little bit about what it says. Generally from what I understand it focuses on the sacrifices that our Lord has made for our sake during His life on earth. The first verse says that on Christmas morning, the Virgin gave birth to our Blessed Saviour, in the town of Bethlehem. The second verse talks about His Passion and how He was killed for the sake of people and then buried, but rose from the dead on the third day. The third verse is a prayer to the Virgin Mary asking Her to intercede for us in heaven. Iāve heard that a lot of Welsh carols have loads of verses that detail the whole life of Christ, and our Polish ones can be very long as well if youād want to sing all the verses, so I wouldnāt be surprised if this one had more as well, but here we have three and I havenāt heard any more in other renditions that Iāve listened to so far.Ā
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Hope you enjoy, and, again, that you have a very happy and peaceful Christmas. šĀ
My Inner MishMash 