A CELEBRATION of ‘The Old New Year’ is set to be held at an historic church in Coventry.
St John the Baptist church in Fleet Street will host an evening of traditional music on January 12 to mark the date of New Year in the ancient Julian Calendar, which was replaced by the modern Gregorian Calendar in 1752.
Folk band Greengrass will perform, and Coventry’s Welsh language choir will sing traditional hymns.
The date of January 12 is still celebrated as the old New Year, or ‘Hen Galan’, in some parts of Wales, particularly the Gwaun valley in Pembrokeshire.
Hen Galan was once more prominent than Christmas for Gwaun valley residents, with special food and drink prepared days ahead.
On January 13, a traditional new year dinner of roast goose and plum pudding is eaten.
Folk songs and Welsh hymns celebrating Christmas and Epiphany will be on the programme, which starts at 7pm and entry is free.
