WORD is clearly spreading about the annual meeting of Welsh and English traditions in the middle of the Wye Bridge.

Not only did the gathering of horses heads for the Mari Lwyd at Chepstow feature two from the Forest for the first time, but there were also visitors who had made the long journeys from the United States, Canada and even Tokyo.

They were rewarded with the biggest-ever turn out of Mari and the spectacle of a traditional English wassail.

But there was a last-minute change of plan for the finale when an accident – which appeared not to connect with the event – forced it to be moved from Chepstow Museum to the Drill Hall.

Following the meeting of the two traditions in the middle of the Wye Bridge, revellers usually head to the museum where a bilingual Mari is performed – with the horse group asking for food and drink – followed by spiced cider being drunk from a wassail bowl.

But while Morris dancers were performing on the bridge – watched on a big screen by hundreds of people – a message was received that somebody had fallen near the museum and an ambulance had been called.

Ironically, this was the 13th year of the event which started with about half a dozen people from each side meeting on the bridge.

Tim Ryan, one of the organisers, said: “When we started there was only the Llantrisant mari that was going.

“Since then they have been brought out of attics and people have made their own and brought them to Chepstow.

“It’s not exaggerating to say that this has had a part in reviving the tradition.

“This year we’ve got Canadians, Americans and one chap has flown in from Tokyo for it.

“This is the most Mari we’ve ever had and we are trying to get it recognised as a world record for the most Mari in one place.”

There were some 30 mari and some English characters such as a Banbury horse, the ‘poor owd ‘oss from Nottinghamshire, the red stag from Southampton and the ‘pen ceffyl’ from Cornwall which, is Cornish and Welsh for horse’s head.

Among the mari were two created by friends from Lydney and featuring real horses’ heads.

Chelsea Hopkins and Zack Powell have been attending the event for several years as spectators but decided to get more involved this year.

They were joined by Mimi Godsell and Adrianne Grant as ‘ostlers’ who led the mari for a grand pageant at the Drill Hall.

Zack said: “It’s weird and wonderful and wholesome – it’s two traditions and the bridge meeting is great.

“You don’t get to see this anywhere else and there is so much going on in a small space.”

Chelsea said the skulls for their creations came from abattoirs and had to be ‘de-greased’ by being soaked in bleach for eight weeks.

She said: “They had to die, which is sad, but now they live on.”

There was a traditional wassail in the castle dell in Chepstow where people placed toast on the trees, drank spiced cider and let off party poppers in the hope of encouraging a good apple harvest.

It includes a procession around the trees but there were so many people there this year that it was almost impossible to move.

The pageant at the Drill Hall introduced all the Mari, which came from across south Wales and as far away as Anglesey, to a large audience.

There was also a wassail in Elmdale, Tutshill where a small apple tree was blessed and wheeled on a cart down to the Wye Bridge for the meeting.

Another of the organisers, Mick Lewis, said: “It’s been a great day and we’d like to thank the sponsors, Chepstow Round Table for marshalling and Dr Glyn Jones who allowed us to use his garden for our drone and made power available for the speakers for the wassail.