Deep joy: Wales embraces ‘hwyl’ in tourism campaign to rival Danish ‘hygge’

The Danish word

hygge

, which summons a feeling of cosy, fire-crackling contentedness, has done its fair share for tourism in Scandinavia as well as sparking a string of self-help guides.

Now

Visit Wales

is aiming to draw tourists to its hills, valleys, coastlines and cities by harnessing the lovely Welsh word

hwyl

, which it defines as a “deep state of joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment”, in its 2025 publicity drive.

Visit Wales says hwyl can be found in places and scenarios that mean most to those taking part, whether it be exploring a forest, gazing at stars, surfing or attending a music festival.

Pinning a PR campaign to a word can be troublesome. VisitScotland once used the Scottish Gaelic word

còsagach

to try to convey a feeling of snugness, but

some speakers pointed out

it meant “a wee nook or hole” such as a small creature might live in – not quite the vibe they were going for.

Rhys Iorwerth

, a poet and translator from Caernarfon, north Wales, told the Guardian Visit Wales’s initiative could be a winner because the word (pronounced something like “hoo-eel”, though it depends on a speaker’s accent or dialect) could fit so many scenarios.

He said: “The beauty of the word is that it can mean various things. It’s commonly used as a noun to convey joy, fun or merriment. But it can also mean one’s frame of mind, disposition or spirit.

“For instance, if you ask someone about their

hwyliau

– hwyliau is the plural of hwyl – you’re asking them in which mood they’re in. Or alternatively, hwyl can mean one’s journey, course or progress. It’s a wonderfully agile word.”

Awel Vaughan-Evans, of the school of psychology at Bangor University in north Wales, said: “Hwyl comes to life in both relaxing and energetic environments. On one hand, hwyl can release dopamine, fire neurotransmitters and raise the heartbeat, creating a prolonged sense of euphoria. Alternatively, it can slow it right down with endorphins reducing stress, causing the entire body to relax. Essentially, hwyl is your own particular form of happiness.”

Andrew Hawke, of the University of Wales Dictionary (Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru) said: “The history of ‘hwyl’ is rather difficult. The basic meaning of the word is ‘a sail’ and it is first recorded in a list of names of letters in the so-called Alphabet of Nemnius from the 9th century – although the meaning of the word in that example is not known.

“It is evidently an old word, and has a cognate in Old Irish

séol

, which also originally meant ‘a sail’ and developed further meanings over time. It is not certain where these words came from, but they may well have been borrowed from one or more of the Germanic languages, which is where ‘sail’ in English also comes from.

“It is of course nonsense to say that the word in untranslatable, but it does have a wide range of meanings. It is also used as an informal farewell, ‘Hwyl’, or ‘Hwyl fawr.’”

Also on board the campaign is Maxine Hughes, a

US-based Welsh broadcaster

who has worked with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney on the show

Welcome to Wrexham

.

She said: “We’ve got a deep appreciation for the outdoors and having fun here, whether it’s warm or wet, dry or cold. Our landscape and willingness to embrace the outdoors is part of the beauty of hwyl.”

Related:

A Pembrokeshire coast walk to a warm, welcoming pub

The hwyl campaign is being launched on Monday to coincide with

Hen Galan, a new year celebration

marked by residents of a wooded valley in south-west Wales, Cwm Gwaun. For this event, at least, the residents still work by the old Julian calendar.

Delme Harries, a Pembrokeshire county councillor who represents the area, said: “Hwyl is a very positive, feelgood word.” He said the people of Cwm Gwaun would certainly “have hwyl” on their New Year’s Day.

More cosy lifestyle words

Hygge

Beaten by “Brexit” as the word of 2016, the Danish word

hygge

is a cosy feeling of wellbeing. It

led to a slew of books

, such as The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

Còsagach

VisitScotland came up with its version of hygge, but some experts felt it didn’t quite work, summoning up images of a mossy nook rather than a place a tourist would really like to stay.

Lagom

Inevitably, the success of hygge led to a search for other lifestyle words from Scandinavia.

Lagom

, a Swedish word

meaning something like “everything in moderation”

, or just enough, fitted the bill but did not have the longevity of hygge.

Ikigai

The Japanese word

ikigai

also had a moment

. It can be translated as “a reason for being” – something that gets you out of bed. Finding your ikigai is felt to be crucial to longevity.