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Mari Ellis Dunning, Associate Lecturer at the School of Languages and Literature and PhD Candidate, Aberystwyth University

Horrifying black sows and ghostly apparitions: how the magic and mystery of Wales come alive in winter

Would you dare let the Mari Lwyd in to your home? Bob Pool/Shutterstock

For centuries, midway between the autumn equinox and winter solstice, the Welsh people have celebrated Calan Gaeaf on November 1. Nos Galan Gaeaf or “the evening before the first day of winter”, falls a day before, which the western world now recognises as Halloween.

A time of year filled with monsters and ghouls, here are five spooky winter customs and beliefs unique to Wales and its people.

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