Hen Galan

The Gwaun Valley, near Fishguard, is one of a handful of places which celebrates the New Year according to the old Julian calendar, which means it's on January 13. This magical valley, which meanders from the Preseli mountains to the sea, is like a land that time forgot. With a great sense of quiet and peace, it’s like a separate place from the rest of the world.

For the 300-odd inhabitants, it’s not really New Year until January 13 has passed.It’s been like this ever since 1752, when Britain and its empire ditched the Julian calendar, which had been in use since the days of Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire, and replaced it with the Gregorian calendar. There was some religious opposition because the changes were felt to be Catholic and in making September shorter people felt as if 11 days were being taken away from them unjustly. Some communities carried on celebrating festivals such as Christmas and New Year and the accompanying rituals late. And so Hen Galan, Welsh for "old New Year", is still marked in the Gwaun Valley. It's so ingrained into the way of life here among the 300-odd inhabitants that even the kids get an unofficial day off school to enjoy the tradition.

These days Hen Galan carries on as local tradition rather than any resistance to the new calendar. It is perhaps the valley's sense of identity that's kept it going. Across the rest of the country Hen Galan gradually fell out of practice – especially in the 19th century when a growing modern media and greater mobility encouraged conformity in many aspects of cultural life. The day usually begins with children in the village going door to door singing and wishing residents a Happy New Year. In return they are often given 'Calennig' (a New Year gift), which usually takes the form of sweets or money. The Gwaun Valley is trying hard to hold onto these traditional customs and that's undoubtedly made easier by the Welsh school in the valley which encourages the celebration. In the evenings people pile into the infamous pub, The Dyffryn Arms, or Bessie’s as it’s known locally. Sadly, Bessie the longstanding landlady has now died, but the front room pub has been in the same family since 1840. It’s where the community converges to share a tipple after the celebrations. Traditionally Hen Galan was a bigger celebration than Christmas, so turkey or goose was the regular table offering. In the olden days, people would even turn up on horseback and just tie the horse outside while they went into the pub.

There's a real sense of identity in the Gwaun Valley – it's a predominantly farming valley that attracts artists and artisans to live and work. Traditions and customs have remained strong - like another Welsh tradition at this time of year: Mari Llwyd. A Welsh custom where a horse’s head is paraded around on a pole, decorated with ribbons and greenery. In years gone by this used to be a real horses skull, but in the last few decades, a wooden effigy has been preferred!

The origins of Mari’s name are, like the horse herself, are deeply mysterious. One Welsh translation of it, Grey Mare, connects it to the heritage of pale horses in Celtic and British mythology, many of whom can cross over to the underworld (Rhiannon in the Mabinogion rode a white horse, for example).

Mari is traditionally taken around a village, often between Christmas Day and Twelfth Night. Mari is usually accompanied by singers and when the group get to a house, they sing Welsh language songs or wassails, or more traditionally indulge in a ritual called pwnco: an exchange of rude rhymes with the person who lives there. If Mari and her gang get entry, the household is said to have good luck for the year!

Tafarn Sinc, a community pub in the north Pembrokeshire village of Rosebush and just a few miles from the Gwaun Valley, continues this tradition. It’s a wonderful evening packed full of singing and a great place to hear the Welsh language spoken. Check out their Facebook page for details of Mari’s next visit.

So if like us, Christmas and New Year passed you by a little too quickly this year, or if you’re here on a winter break, head on down to the Gwaun Valley to extend the festive period, it’s like stepping back in time and really worth exploring. It’s a superb area of Pembrokeshire, perfect if you're spending 48 hours in Fishguard.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda.