Autumn Folklore at the Autumn Equinox in Wales

For the autumn equinox, I set the alarm nice and early to head to Porthcawl to catch what I hoped would be a spectacular sunrise, and to explore some of the folklore surrounding the changing season.

The sunrise itself could have been better – let’s just say the Welsh weather had other ideas – but there was still plenty to discover.

Along the way, I look at autumn folklore, harvest traditions, Little Summer and All Hallows Summer, the Pagan celebrations of Mabon and Alban Elfed, and some Victorian folklore about Druids and oak trees.

Watch the video below, or check it out on YouTube:

Oh, and it just so happened that the Porthcawl Elvis Festival was taking place at the same time – and taking over the town. So I went Elvis hunting and checked out some of the Elvises, American flags, vinyl and costumes taking over all the shop windows.

There’s also a quick look at the Porthcawl Cryptid Lizzie – a rather wonderful piece of driftwood that became a local monster – and, right at the very end, some footage from the old Porthcawl fair’s ghost train.

So, no glorious sunrise, but plenty of autumn folklore, Elvis, Welsh oddities and a very early morning wander around Porthcawl.

Happy autumn, spooky season, Halloween season, and until next time… nos da!

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For more cultural adventures – and a lot more ghosts and folklore – follow Mark Rees on YouTube, check out the Ghosts & Folklore of Wales podcast, and keep up to date on social media.