Calan Gaeaf

Nos Calan Gaeaf: In Wales the first day of winter is called Calan Gaeaf. And the night before is Nos Calan Gaeaf or Ysbrydnos: Spirit Night. It is the year’s most frightening time. Spirits are abroad. People avoid churchyards, stiles, and crossroads; since spirits are thought to gather there.

Connected rites:

Coelcerth: Bonfire 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: The Black Sow: Legend has it that a fearsome spirit called the 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. (6)

Eiddiorwg dalen: Ivy Leaves: A few leaves of ground ivy will give you the power to see hags.

Teiliwr: Tailors: In Glamorgan tailors were associated with witchcraft. They possessed the power to ‘bewitch’ anybody if they wished. gwniyddes is welsh for seamstress.