An Otherworldly Welsh History: Noson Calan Gaeaf
Over the year, we will be delving into Wales’s rich history and heritage, from old traditions, crumbling castles, myths and legends, and that really, really long place name… go on, have a go.
LLANFAIR-PWLL-GWYNGYLL-GOGERYCH-WYRN-DROBWLL-LLANTYSILIO-GO-GO-GOCH.
We want to celebrate our Welsh culture and invite everyone in our Wrecsam community to join us.
As this is the first blog in our Welsh series, it only felt right to start with a tale of new beginnings. Fittingly, this week we celebrate Noson Calan Gaeaf, the Welsh calendar festival marking the start of winter, celebrated on the eve of October 31st, alongside our celebrations of Halloween. It’s no coincidence that these festivals are celebrated on the same day. In fact, Halloween evolved from several old traditions, including Wales’s own Calan Gaeaf.
While today we get excited about the latest release of The Traitors, pumpkin spice lattes, and our annual Spotify Wrapped, our ancient ancestors enjoyed different kinds of seasonal festivities. Think feasting, storytelling, music, gathering around roaring bonfires to keep mischievous spirits at bay, and plenty of beer (some things don't change).
Origins of Calan Gaeaf
In a time before M&S seasonal picky bits and central heating, our ancestors relied on the fruits of their labour to see them through winter. As the nights grew longer and the weather much harsher, livestock were brought in from grass keep marking the beginning of the winter season. For Celtic communities this was a crucial time of year and was often celebrated with feasts and festivities.
The arrival of the darker half of the calendar brought a sense of superstition and trepidation, as people believed that during this transition the veil between worlds was at its thinnest and ghosts were said to roam the Welsh countryside. (Little did they know this was just Uncle Tom stumbling home from the pub!)
Naturally, nobody wants to have a scary encounter with an unfriendly spirit, so people would avoid crossroads, stiles and graveyards on this night. They believed these places were thresholds for spirits entering the earth. I on the other hand, try to stay away from family functions, community facebook groups and school PTA meetings for the same reason.
Why don’t we meet some of these eerie figures:
Yr Hwch Ddu Gwta
In Welsh folklore, Yr Hwch Ddu Gwta, a tailless black sow, was a made-up character designed to scare children from staying out past dusk. The story goes that the last child to go home after dark would be caught by the Hwch Ddu Gwta. On Noson Calan Gaeaf, as the darkness drew in, a local villager would dress as this figure and chase the children home to deter them from staying out late and teach them the dangers of night.
Y Ladi Wen
Another famous folklore character associated with Noson Calan Gaeaf is Y Ladi Wen, the woman in white, a liminal figure who was said to have been an apparition of death. Like Yr Hwch Ddu Gwta, she was invoked as a warning to children to stay home at night and not to stray too far, for fear that the Ladi Wen would appear to them.
Similarly, anytime I misbehaved as a child my mother would call upon a less renowned and much scarier woman, Great Aunty Gladys. The looming threat of watching re-runs of loose women and being forced to drink her famously disgusting pea soup.
I know who I’d prefer to run into.
But Calan Gaeaf wasn’t just about avoiding wandering spirits; it was also a night of celebration, community and optimism for the year ahead. Villagers would huddle around a blazing bonfire, feasting on their harvest, and anticipating what was to come.
So, what does Calan Gaeaf look like today?
A lot has changed since the emergence of Calan Gaeaf as a Welsh cultural holiday. Modern commercialised Halloween traditions have primarily taken its place. We now dress our children in minion suits and send them on a pilgrimage around the neighbourhood for a few hours of peace.
Despite this, the spirit of Noson Calan Gaeaf lives on as communities in Wales gather to welcome the season, share spooky stories and count down the days until it’s socially acceptable to start playing Wham! Whether you’re celebrating this week with fancy dress, a bonfire, or a night out with friends Noson Calan Gaeaf serves as a heartfelt reminder of Wales's rich history, folklore, and the enduring traditions that bring people together.
Noson Calan Gaeaf Hapus Pawb!
Written by Megan Williams, Membership Project Coordinator
