This is the only notated Morris Dance originating in the Point of Ayr, Flintshire. It was also performed by a team at Baggillt. It has been notated many times. This is an interesting dance for eight dancers PLUS two comic characters Bili, the Fool, and the Cadi, the man dressed up as a woman, symbolising perfection and 'he' helped sweep away the evil spirits of Winter in readiness for the coming of Summer - represented by the Branch bearer. Occasionally, these were also accompanied by the Mari Lwyd - a horse's skull on a pole, which was a symbol of fertility.

The dance has two significant parts. There is a processional for travelling along the road. It is a bit like The Dilwyn or Wheatley Processional. It is a hankie dance double stepped with lines crossing diagonally. The static part contains crossovers, back-to-back and cast. There are also specific parts for Bili and Cadi.

The North Wales Morris or Cadi Ha was erroneously described as a Flintshire processional; but it is still remembered in other parts of North Wales. It is true that a degenerate version was last seen in the streets of Mold in 1930. Moreover it is questionable whether it was a processional or peripatetic dance.

The participants, may, as usual have danced off; but they marched from one station to another. It was not, like the Helston Furry, a continuous dancing procession. They even hiked long distances and were seen in many places, in the valleys of Dee, the Clwyd and the Conway. As they were disguised, sometimes with blackened faces, "so no-one should know us", it was difficult to tell where they came from, or even whether they were the same party. No doubt the blackened faces gave rise to the idea that they were miners from Flint. At Llandderfel I came across a man whose uncle had regularly gone out with a party from the Bala district, to play the part of the Cadi.

This summer dancing was described in Denbighshire 150 years ago. Later it became known as the Cadi Ha, by association with the Cadi or Kate, a man dressed as a woman, who, with the Fool, provided the fun of the occasion.

Miss Maud Karpeles interviewed Wil Fidler, who had accompanied some of these dancers, and noted two tunes from him. He told her that they used to have several dances, but they had been forgotten. There might be eight men or more dressed in be- ribboned shirts and hats, carrying white handkerchiefs. A Branch bearer carried a branch of gorse, which had to be in flower. This was a modern substitute for the traditional Fedwen Haf (the summer birch), which was decorated with all things beautiful. A jingle was sung in Welsh, referring significantly to the tail of a cow.

Cadi ha, Morys stowt,

Am yr uchla 'neido,

Hwp dyna fo!

A chynfffon buwch a chynffon llo,

A chynffon Rhisiart Parri'r go,

Hwp dyna fo!

Fy ladai i, a'i ladal o,

A'r ladal gawsom fenthyg,

A chynffon buwch.....etc".

The Cadi carried a ladle to collect donations.

Descriptions from antiquarians in the early 19th century come from Denbighshire. The Reverend Peter Roberts of Llanarmon D.C. in his Cambrian Popular Antiquities, 1815, described a dance by nine men, ornamented with ribbons and small bells. These were accompanied by a Fool and a man dressed as a woman known as Megan. He then discourses on Shakespeare's reference to the Nine men's Morris, apparently unaware that this was not a dance, but a game, in which each player had nine men, or merrils, which they moved along lines in the ground. One does not therefore feel very confident about his dance for nine men; possibly he counted in the Garland bearer. - Lois Blake

The Dance

The Cadi Ha is a traditional song and dance which was performed until recently during the month of May in some districts of Wales. The following description of the dance is compiled from various records of eye witnesses. (See Welsh National Music and Dance (Gwynn Williams) and the Journal of the Welsh Folk Song Society Vol III, Part I)

The dancers were eight men, dressed in white shirts, trousers and straw hats. They blackened their faces and were decorated profusely with knots of ribbon, four with blue and four with red, to denote who were on the men's side and who were on the women's. They carried handkerchiefs in both hands. The dancers were accompanied by a Fool, dressed comically in one instance in a tail coat and silk hat, and sometimes carrying a ladle with which to collect money. There was also the Cadi, dressed as a woman, and a Branch bearer, carrying Y Fedwen Haf (Birch Branch) or a branch of gorse. They were also accompanied by a musician who played a fiddle or concertina. The first part of the dance was processional, Bili, the Fool, leading with Cadi, and followed by the Branch Bearer, who was the only member of the party who did not blacken his face. These three walked ahead, while the eight dancers proceeded as follows :-

Section A

Section A of the music may be repeated as often as required. The dancers stand in two files, about 8 feet apart, the men on the left and the women on their right, the first man being the Master who calls out instructions.

The dancers advance, crossing over diagonally, the men in front of the women, and on the last beat of the last bar of the Section, the Master calls "Hoop!", and the dancers face and jump with both feet,throwing up their arms and waving their handkerchiefs with a sharp inward turn of the wrists. On the repeat they cross back to places, this time the women in front of the men, and leap as before.

The step

Left, right, left, hop on left; right left, right, hop on right; left, right, left, hop on left; right, feet together, turning, jump and wave. This may be repeated as often as space requires. The Master then calls 'Halt!'

Section B

Having reached the stopping place, the dancers turn and face each other, and, to Section B of the music, sing verse 1 of the song.

While the dancers are singing, Bili leads Cadi down between the files and leaves Cadi at the bottom of the set, returning himself to the top.

Section C

Partners cross over, with the same step, passing right, turn left and face, leap and wave handkerchiefs when Master calls "Hoop" on the last beat.

On the repeat partners cross back to places, passing right again, leap and wave as before.

Section D

Bili and Cadi advance and meet in the centre, turn with right hands and return to places.

Section E

Partners cross over passing right, and without turning but bearing right, dance backwards passing left to places, leaping on last beat as before.

Section F

Bili and Cadi meet in centre, turn left hands and go to bottom of set.

Section F

Bili and Cadi lead off. The master and his partner, followed by the other dancers, turn inwards down the centre, and continue the procession crossing over as before.

I am indebted to Lady Lewis for the following information which I received from her some years ago.

Sometime before 1914 two students from Bangor University saw a dance called "Cadi Ha" near "Bagillt". They copied it down and sent it to Lady Lewis. The following is a description I received from her :

The dancers stand in two lines of four men on one side and four maids (i.e. men with women's hats?) on the other, facing. The Master stands at the end of the men's line, while Bili and Cadi stand apart, Bili at the end nearest the Master and Cadi at the other end.

The men do a sort of patter step in their places while Bili and Cadi advance between the two lines of dancers, hold right hands and turn in the centre, then retire to their original places. The men and maids then cross over, back to back, (similar to the usual Morris back-to-back) waving their handkerchiefs as the Master calls a "whoop" right shoulder, backing to places, left shoulder, backing to places.

Bili and Cadi again advance up the middle, then Bili leads Cadi back to her end followed by the Master and his partner, who cross over and change places continually whilst dancing after them and followed in turn by the other couples, two by two, this procession dances along for some distance, and when Bili and Cadi turn and face the others, the two lines are again formed and the first two figures danced in place.

The tune is curious and rather attractive. Notation and instructions founded on these and other particulars obtained in North Wales will be found in the dance notation at the end of this book, whilst the tune, together with a variant of the well known Helston Furry Dance - also a common tune in Wales and, indeed, all over England - will be found in the volume "Welsh Dance Tunes for Piano" which is issued in conjunction with this book.

Years ago, old Miss Jane Williams, in Holywell Institution, gave the Master a description somewhat similar to the above. "Colliers from Mostyn used to dance in white shirts tied up with red ribbons and white trousers and jumped for the highest." She sang him the following tune :

The following tune was noted by Mr.Mills at Mostyn on May 1, 1899, from a party of boys who had blacked their faces and who carried branches. Some were dressed as women.

Cadi Ha, the usual North Wales name for a Morris was also called in some parts "Dawnsio Cangen Ha" (The Dance of the Summer Bough), and traces remain in Caernarfonshire of the custom of putting up a decorated pole and dancing around it.

Myrddin Fardd, in his "Llew Gwerin Sir Gaernarfon," tells us that it was usual to put up "Y Fedwen Haf" (The Summer Birch) and decorate it with silver articles and coloured ribbons; then the younger people danced around it to a harper or crowder. I have found traditional traces of this.

He also mentions small parties of men who went from house to house dancing.