Pagan symbol's Tate debut

The Mari Lwyd is paraded round Llantrisant

A decorated horse's skull used in an ancient pagan ceremony is due to go on display in an exhibition at the Tate Gallery.

Residents in Llantrisant, south Wales, parade around the old district of the town every Christmas and New Year bearing the skull to usher in the spring.

The tradition of the Mari Lwyd involves the arrival of the horse and its party at the door of the house or pub, where they sing introductory verses.

The Mari Lwyd skull will appear at the Tate

This is followed by a battle of wits - known as pwnco - in which the people inside the door and the Mari party outside exchange challenges and insults in rhyme.

At the end of the battle, which can be as long as the creativity of the two parties holds out, the Mari party enters with another song.

Bad reputation

The industrial revolution and the rise of "fire-and-brimstone" chapel preaching had a serious effect on the Mari Lwyd.

The parties had gained a bad reputation for drunkenness and vandalism as they roamed the villages.

In some places, like Llantrisant, the pwnco disappeared and the Mari party sang only their arrival verses, adding Christmas carols to the repertoire.

In other areas, such as Llanharry, Cowbridge and the Vale of Glamorgan, the parties used English-language verses.

The Mari could still be seen in many villages in the 1920s and 1930s.

By the 1960s, only a few survived in places like Pentyrch and Pencoed.

Llantrisant's Mari Lwyd custom was revived almost two decades ago by members of the town's folk club, very much in the style in which it was being performed when it originally died out, probably in the 1930s.