plygain
Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- noun A Welsh custom of singing carols at dawn on Christmas morning.
Examples
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On Christmas Day itself, a 'plygain' carol service would be held between 3am-6am in the local church, and this custom continues in some parts of Wales notably in Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire to this day.
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Early on Christmas morning Welsh Protestants held a carol service known as 'plygain' as opposed to the Catholic Mass.
Note
The origin of the word 'plygain' is unclear; it may come from a Latin word meaning 'cock-crow', or it may come from a Welsh word meaning 'to bend in prayer'.
