Younger generations may not remember the terrorising tales of the Gawgaw yet older ones are able to recall all too clearly the tales of the mythical creature that transformed their Christmas spirit into Christmas dread.

Legend has it that the Gawgaw, often described as a monster-ghost hybrid but whose exact features have never been defined, prowls the streets during the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Although not believed to be mortally harmful to any living creature, the Gawgaw has the uncanny ability to smell out naughty boys (sexism has it’s uses sometimes!) and scares them into submission and good behaviour.

Thoughts of the Gawgaw not only terrorised young children but also expectant mothers due to give birth during the festive season. Legend dictates that any unfortunate child born on 24^th December would be doomed to morph into the terrible monster. Once transformed, the child would then roam the streets in its Gawgaw form, terrorising anyone that crosses its path and wreaking havoc along the way.

The curse is only said to last the night, with the child returning to its original form come first light on Christmas morning. No real consequences would follow from this event, par some bruising generated from the tumultous happenings of the previous night. 

Children born on the 24th December were instructed to keep their mind active through activities such as counting the holes in a sieve to prevent the curse from manifesting unto the child.

The origins of this tale saw the fusion of folklore and common superstition accentuated by strong religious beliefs, with the curse thought to act as punishment for anyone cheeky enough to be born on the same night as His son.

While this tale enjoyed great popularity in olden times, very few people nowadays remember this ancient tale. One thing's for certain, the Grinch pales in comparison to this guy right here!

Have you ever spotted the Gawgaw roaming the streets on Christmas Eve?