Dydd Santes Dwynwen

Every year on the 25^th January we celebrate what is commonly known as the Welsh St Valentines Day.

St Dwynwen’s Day, or Dydd Santes Dwynwen, is a celebration of Wales’ patron saint of love. Dwynwen was a 4^th Century Welsh princess who was unlucky in love.

Legend has it that Dwynwen was the prettiest of all of King Brychan Brycheiniog’s daughters. She fell in love with a local boy, Maelon, but was already betrothed to another prince. After telling Maelon the bad news, Dwynwen fled to the woods to lament her lost love and pray for help from God. An angel appeared to Dwynwen and gave her a potion to help her forget about Maelon, which turned him to ice. After seeing the effects of the potion on Maelon, Dwynwen prayed for help. Hearing her cries for help, God granted her three wishes; she chose to cure Maelon, have God look after all true lovers and for her to remain unmarried.

St Dwynwen’s day is considered as the most romantic day of the year in Wales, and is celebrated much the same as Valentines Day; cards are exchanged and (mostly) thoughtful presents are given.

 

If you’re looking for ways to celebrate the Welsh holiday, we’ve put together a few ideas to impress the significant other in your life.

• Try your hand at carving a traditional Welsh love spoon. If you’re not the most talented of carvers, you could also buy one.
• Bake a batch of Welsh cakes in your partner’s favourite flavours. To add extra romance, you can make them heart-shaped
• For an impressive treat, take them to one of Wales’ most romantic hotels.