Calan Gaeaf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Calan Gaeaf is the name of the first day of winter in Wales, observed on 1 November. The night before is Nos Calan Gaeaf or Ysbrydnos, when spirits are abroad. People avoid churchyards, stiles, and crossroads, since spirits are thought to gather there.
[edit] Connected rites
- Coelcerth: Families build a fire and place stones with their name in it. The person whose stone is missing the next morning would die within the year.
- Yr Hwrch Ddu Gwta: Legend has it that a fearsome spirit called Yr Hwrch Ddu Gwta took the form of a tail-less black sow and roamed the countryside with a headless woman. Children would rush home early.
- Eiddiorwg Dalen: A few leaves of ground ivy is thought to give you the power to see hags.
- Teiliwr: In Glamorgan tailors were associated with witchcraft. They supposedly possessed the power to ‘bewitch’ anybody if they wished.
