OK Dee, will try.
@henddraig If that’s what they called it in Rhossili etc, that’s good enough for me. I was only going by what it says on the website:
“Although the local people sometimes used the name Mari Lwyd to describe these traditions, the Gower horse’s heads came from a different background to the Welsh language Mari tradition, which was widespread in the valleys to the north.”
Have a look at the 4 Gower entries on the Mari Lwyd site I mentioned. The whole thing about folklore & traditions is that these things can vary from place to place, change over time, and there can even be disputes in the same area about the correct terminology and way of proceeding!
Re Harvests - yes all that survives in modern times is what you describe. But historically there were various customs associated with traditional methods of harvesting in the 19C and before, which of course declined as agriculture became mechanised and the Church also took over. The most well known was connected with the ‘last sheaf’ or Caseg Fedi (Harvest Mare) as it was known in some parts of Wales; the tradition has been revived since the War in Cornwall, where it is known as ‘Crying the Neck’.
