Epiphany is the supposed date when the Wise Men arrived at the scene of Christ's birth, bringing gifts. In Welsh, this is Ystwyll, from the latin stella, "star". This is also known as Hen Ddydd Nadolig, Old Christmas.
Twelfth Night was celebrated up into the late eighteen-hundreds by miners who would visit each other carrying a board decorated with candles. They would sing at every house in exchange for a Christmas gift. Twelfth Night cakes were rich and fruity and signified the bounty of the year to come. This was also the night when the Christmas decorations would be taken down.
Oxen would be decorated with Twelfth Night cakes in some areas as well. Sometimes the largest ox would have a donut-shaped cake hung to his horn and a song sung about him. Oxen were once considered prime meat for feasts, choice portions going to kings and priests.
January is the time of the Blessing of the Waters. Water is taken from the sea, a lake or stream, pool or river, and sprinkled over the people there. In some places in Wales, children would go to the well on New Year's Day and gather water to splash on people they met. It was considered lucky and the children would be paid for their blessings.
Between morning and noon the children used to go around soliciting a New Year's present from the local houses.
'First Footing' is an old custom still practised in many parts of Wales. A dark-haired boy is to be the first to enter the house, some salt in the right hand and a lump of coal in the left. He was to enter through one door and leave through the other to bring luck to the house.
Twelfth Night is a night of hunting the Wren. Men would gather and hunt a wren. Wrens would be hiding in hay stacks in winter and were usually easy to find. If no wrens could be found, though, a sparrow would do. The wren would be placed in a box resembling a house with two windows and a door, and the 'house' placed on a bier, then four men would carry this bier around to local homes, paying special attention to the homes of newlyweds. The people in the homes would listen to the men sing, then would offer money for the privilege. Sometimes they would offer holiday ale.
If the wren was denied admittance, the men would chant a satirical rhyme against the house. This custom was popular in Wales, parts of Ireland, and the Isle of Man.
Plough Monday was the day everything returned to normal after the holidays. During the Christmas season, the plough was brought in and kept under the dining table where it was occasionally drenched in ale when a family member remembered it. The plough is central to the work of agricultural people. The Big Dipper is called 'The Plough' in Welsh.
St. Dwynwen's Day is 25 January. St. Dwynwen was the Welsh patron saint of lovers, giving up a love of her own for religious work. Some people prefer to send a St. Dwynwen's Day card instead of the usual St. Valentine's Day card in February.