The Welsh Valentines Day, St Dwynwen’s Day
But what is it about and who is St Dwynwen?
St Dwynwen’s Day is celebrated in Wales on 25 January.
St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine.Dwynwen lived during the 5th century and legend has it that she was one of the prettiest of Brychan Brycheiniog’s 24 daughters. Dwynwen fell in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else.
Dwynwen was so upset that she could not marry Maelon that she begged God to make her forget him. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice.
He then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed.Her second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers and third, that she should never marry. All three were fulfilled, and as a mark of her thanks, Dwynwen devoted herself to God’s service for the rest of her life.
She founded a convent on Llanddwyn, off the west coast of Anglesey, where a well, named after her, became a place of pilgrimage after her death in 465AD. Visitors to the well believed that the sacred fish or eels that lived in the well could foretell whether or not their relationship would be happy and whether love and happiness would be theirs. Remains of Dwynwen’s church can still be seen today.
In Wales we are known for our big hearts and love for our tradition. So why not give the perfect traditional Welsh gift on St Dwynwen’s Day and present your loved one with a unique hand carved Welsh lovespoon.
Love spoons have been given as courting gifts between lovers in Wales since the early 17th century and how wonderful is it that we still carry on this tradition in 2020.
The Welsh lovespoon is like giving your loved one a poem that is in the form of a carved spoon, romantic, thoughtful and something that can be kept forever.
Each symbol with a meaning and made with love.
For example a knot, to show that your love is everlasting and that you will be together forever. A lock to show that you will provide a home and security. Commas that are soul signs. There are many more, romantic right?
At The Lovespoon Gallery we have the most beautiful collection, we have worked very hard over the past 30 years to show the best carvers and keep this wonderful tradition.
So why wait until Valentines day to show your loved one how special they are, gift them a Welsh Lovespoon three weeks early on our special day, St Dwynwen’s Day.