Press Releases

Mr and Mrs Christmas visit National Museum Wales

Visitors to the National Roman Legion Museum on 16 December will be greeted by Father Christmas, and entertaining guests at Big Pit this month will be his wife, Mother Christmas.

Mother Christmas will be telling tales of Christmas past at Big Pit: National Coal Museum on 9 & 10, 16 and 17 December and explaining what life is like at this time of year in the ‘Christmas’ household.

Visitors to the museum at Blaenafon will get a sneaky behind-the-scenes look at Mother Christmas at 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm on both weekends as Sharon Ford, Education Officer at Big Pit explains:

“This is the second year Mother Christmas has been able to join us, and we are pleased to say the activities are bigger and better than last year. Mother Christmas has a range of fascinating stories to tell, which will entertain the whole family. There will also be an opportunity to make a range of Christmas crafts to take home, including special Christmas candles and Reindeer masks.”

The National Roman Legion Museum will also be focusing on seasonal decorations, but ones which are suitable for a Roman feast. On 16 December, Father Christmas will join the Romans at the Museum who will be preparing their home in time for the Saturnalia Festival.

From 11 am to 4 pm, information will be shared on which legends and customs of Christmas past are still alive today. Visitors to the Museum in Caerleon will be able to learn more about the origins of kissing under the mistletoe and how decorating Christmas trees can be linked back to the Romans.

Admission to both museums is free thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government and places cannot be booked in advance.

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales. These are National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales celebrates its centenary in 2007. For more details go to our 07 pages.