Calan Gaeaf
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Calan Gaeaf is the name of the first day of winter in Wales. 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.
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 Dhu Gwta: Legend has it that a fearsome spirit called Yr Hwrch Dhu 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.