It’s been said that a giant seven-foot multicolored cockerel can be spotted roaming the village of Ceinws, Powys, on the longest night of the year.
The Ceiliog (cockerel) is summoned to Esgairgeiliog (Ceinws’ old name still used by locals) from the forest to bring back the light for the new year.
The tradition was said to have started at the turn of the 20th century, according to the organisers who thought up the idea over a pint one evening seven years ago.
This year over 60 people turned out to follow the mythical creature up to the highest point of the village last Friday 22 December to call back the light for the coming year.
The man who often acts as herald to the great cockerel, Jonathan Gross, 41, said: “Our village loses the light very early in winter because we’re in the Dulas valley.
“It’s a way of getting the community together and celebrating life in a village that loses light very early in winter.
“It's very good to welcome the light back and make sure everyone knows that the sun will return.”
Esgairgeiliog means ‘the ridge of the cockerel’- each year villagers follow the huge beast who lights a torch to summon the sun to come back.
This year Christmas lights were hung, a pop-up pizza oven was erected outside the village pub and children donned their warm winter coats and hats.
“Mae Ceiliog, mae Ceiliog, mae ceiliog yn dod”, or "the cockerel is coming", was sung as the festivities wound down through the village, torch and Ceiliog leading the way.
Jonathan, artist, and resident in Ceinws for 13 years, said: “We’ve always called the Ceiliog ‘a revival’ even though it didn’t exist before. Small communities have always had things that bring them together and we’ve been losing them without noticing them go.
“It’s not a radical new idea- it's bringing back inherent things that all small communities used to have.”
So he and a small group dedicated to the community of Ceinws thought up the great Ceiliog, created his giant costume of multicolored ribbons, and asked the villagers to follow the Ceiliog each solstice.
The night of the Ceiliog has been running for so long now (seven years) that children know it as a well-founded tradition. The Ceiliog even walked along one year during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jonathan added: “It was very important that the Ceiliog walked. We all started getting quite frightened the light wouldn’t come back.”
Nicola Farrington, 37, a village resident, said: “I think it shows the imagination from this small corner of mid-Wales.
“It’s a really special village – look around – all these lights got put up last week, there’s advent calendar windows in every house and a giant cockerel festival with pizza. What more could you want?”
Even Santa showed up for the festivities in his sleigh with some presents for the children.
