Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
You are listening to a song from Pembrokeshire, Wales that celebrates what might be an ancient folkloric midwinter tradition. “Please to See the King” is a song about…not Jesus, but a wren! At dawn on December 26th, Saint Stephen’s Day, it was traditional for the youths of the village to go out and capture and kill a wren bird in the woods. The wren would be brought back to the village, displayed with ribbons and paraded around from house to house while young boys sang this song. Money collected from this house visiting procession would go to throw a party for the community.
We don’t know how this tradition originated, but it may have been an animist or pagan ritual meant to kill winter and welcome the return of the light. The wren was associated with wintertime (as opposed to the cuckoo, who heralded summer), so killing the wren might have been sympathetic magic to bring warmer weather. Though no wrens are killed anymore, versions of this tradition continue!
Our Wassailing troupe performed this song in St. Lawrence’s Basilica in Asheville. We loved the acoustics in here!
**Right now I am offering courses in feminist folk song (LOW PRYCES AVAILABLE NOW) + a local pagan winter choir! Check out those offerings here: https://linktr.ee/songspeaksaro
Lyrics to our version:
Joy, health, love, and peace be all here in this place
By your leave we will sing concerning our king
Our king is well dressed in the silks of the best
In ribbons so rare, no king can compare
We have travelled many miles over hedges and stiles
In search of our king, unto you we bring
We have powder and shot to conquer the lot
We have cannon and ball to conquer them all
Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last,
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new
#yuletradition #solsticetradition #pagantradition #midwinter #wassailing #wassail #yuletidings #Welshfolktradition #welshfolksong #midwinterfolkore #yulefolklore #wintersolstice #folksong #englishfolksong #paganwinter #paganfolk #paganfolkwitch
You are listening to a song from Pembrokeshire, Wales that celebrates what might be an ancient folkloric midwinter tradition. “Please to See the King” is a song about…not Jesus, but a wren! At dawn on December 26th, Saint Stephen’s Day, it was traditional for the youths of the village to go out and capture and kill a wren bird in the woods. The wren would be brought back to the village, displayed with ribbons and paraded around from house to house while young boys sang this song. Money collected from this house visiting procession would go to throw a party for the community.
We don’t know how this tradition originated, but it may have been an animist or pagan ritual meant to kill winter and welcome the return of the light. The wren was associated with wintertime (as opposed to the cuckoo, who heralded summer), so killing the wren might have been sympathetic magic to bring warmer weather. Though no wrens are killed anymore, versions of this tradition continue!
Our Wassailing troupe performed this song in St. Lawrence’s Basilica in Asheville. We loved the acoustics in here!
**Right now I am offering courses in feminist folk song (LOW PRYCES AVAILABLE NOW) + a local pagan winter choir! Check out those offerings here: https://linktr.ee/songspeaksaro
Lyrics to our version:
Joy, health, love, and peace be all here in this place
By your leave we will sing concerning our king
Our king is well dressed in the silks of the best
In ribbons so rare, no king can compare
We have travelled many miles over hedges and stiles
In search of our king, unto you we bring
We have powder and shot to conquer the lot
We have cannon and ball to conquer them all
Old Christmas is past, Twelfth Night is the last,
And we bid you adieu, great joy to the new
#yuletradition #solsticetradition #pagantradition #midwinter #wassailing #wassail #yuletidings #Welshfolktradition #welshfolksong #midwinterfolkore #yulefolklore #wintersolstice #folksong #englishfolksong #paganwinter #paganfolk #paganfolkwitch
