Plygain is a traditional Welsh Christmas service which takes place in a church between three and six o'clock in the morning, traditionally on Christmas morning. The word 'plygain' possibly comes from the Latin word pullicantio, meaning 'when the cock crows at dawn'; some have suggested that it could also be derived from plygu, which means 'bending', as when bending forward in prayer. There are several variations on the word: pylgen, pilgen, plygan, plygen etc. The carols are very different from the usual English Christmas carol tradition in that every Plygain carol includes verses on the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ in addition to his birth. The Plygain was the only service in the church calendar to be held at night time, as the carrying of candles and the procession leading to