CWM GWAUN

Cwm Gwaun, the valley of the Gwaun river, is a small valley in the middle of Mynydd Preseli. It is a secluded and wooded valley that possesses a distinctive history, while also being the stronghold of a distinctive Welsh culture and way of life that has survived for generations and continues to thrive till this day.

One of the earliest signs of human habitation in Cwmgwaun is the church of St Brynach. Brynach was an Irishman who first landed in Wales at Milford Haven before travelling to the Gwaun Valley around 1,500 years ago. There, he freed the village of Pontfaen from local demons whose constant howling had made the village impossible to live in. Brynach, like many spiritual persons at the time, lived a strict life of constant fasting and prayer. He was so holy that he was able to speak with angels on the summit of Carningli, located between Cwm Gwaun and Newport.

Much of what we know about Brynach comes from a book called ‘Life of St Brynach,’ written sometime during the 1100s in nearby Cemaes. Brynach’s presence in Cwmgwaun is memorialised by the church of St Brynach. The church is a Grade 2 listed building. The centre and sanctuary of the church, called the nave and chancel, are thought to be from the 1200s. The north transept, or crossway through the church, is thought to be from the 1300s. The church was believed to have fallen into disuse after 1833, and in ruins by 1859. The church was restored around 1880, and again in 1901-1904. The porch and vestry, a small changing area, were constructed at this time.

Similar to other communities in the coastal uplands of Wales, Cwmgwaun is full of legends and folktales. Some of the more popular centre around death. For example, the ‘toili’ or phantom funeral. Many people throughout history reported seeing a ghostly funeral procession on the narrow lanes of places like Cwm Gwaun. These phantom funerals would foretell the death of a loved one, with the procession taking the same route as the actual funeral might. Another folktale told of a ‘canwyll corff’ or corpse candle. Individuals dreaded the ‘corff cannwyll’ since it was also believed to be a sign of their own fast-approaching death. The ‘corff cannwyll’ appeared as single lights or as a cluster of lights, with their size and brightness relating to the age or size of the victim. Again, the lights would follow the exact path that their funeral procession would take. If the doomed person was female, the light usually had a blue-ish tinge but if the person was male, the light was often red. Visitors will be glad to know that sightings of phantom funerals and corpse candles have been rare in recent years!

Cwmgwaun is a stronghold of Welsh traditions, particularly ones that are linked to the New Year celebrations. The residents of Cwmgwaun celebrate the New Year on 13 Januar and not on 1 January. The reason for celebrating the so-called ‘Hen Galan’ or Old New Year is the fact that they are sticking to the old Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was abolished in 1752 and replaced with the Gregorian calendar, with the result that some communities felt that they had ‘lost’ twelve or thirteen days of their lives! To this day, children of Gwaun and neighbouring communities go from door to door singing and are given ‘Calennig’ in return in the form of either sweets or money. For many in this area, the Hen Galan is a more significant celebration than Christmas. One of the most popular songs is:

Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi/A happy new year to you

Ac i bawb sydd yn y tŷ/And to everyone in the house

Dyma yw fy nymuniad i/This is my wish

Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi/A happy new year to you.

Another important tradition is the Mari Lwyd, Welsh forGrey Mare. Here, a horse’s head is paraded around on a pole, decorated with ribbons and greenery. The Mari Lwyd is taken around a village, often in the period between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night. The Mari Lwyd is usually accompanied by singers. When the Mari Lwyd arrives a house, the group sing songs or wassails, and indulge in a ritual called ‘pwnco’: an exchange of rude rhymes with the occupants of the house. If Mari and her followers gain entry, the household is said to have good luck for the rest of the year. Some of the pubs in Mynydd Preseli, such as the Dyffryn Arms and Tafarn Sinc, are important locations in these celebrations of local culture.

Cwmgwaun, along with much of upland Wales, continues to be a place where the tradition of folk singing is still practised. Welsh folk singing is unique for a number of reasons. The subject matter is significant, with a traditional focus on agriculture and the particular ways of living in rural Wales. Of course, love and death feature quite heavily as subjects too! Another important feature of Welsh folk songs and tunes is the fact that they have always been passed on orally over generations. As such, it is sometimes difficult to communicate the spirit of the song using only written music.

Finally, the tradition of Welsh folk singing is largely unaccompanied, i.e., without a piano, guitar, violin, or other instrument to accompany the singer. These factors all give Welsh folk singing their distinctive quality. Visitors can still hear these songs being sung in Eisteddfodau, an annual cultural festival and competition, and the more frequent Nosweithiau Llawen, or variety evenings, in Mynydd Preseli. If you are lucky, you may also hear some of these songs being sung in some of the area’s pubs.