Saint Dwynwen’s Day: Wale’s Day of Love, aka Saint Dwynwen’s Day, is celebrated on 25th January every year. The day is commemorated as the day of love, sacrifice, and eternal bond.
This article is all about Wales’ St. Dwynwen’s Day, or Welsh Valentine’s Day.
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Saint Dwynwen’s Day History: Welsh Valentine’s Day
Wales is one of the four countries in the United Kingdom of England. Having a long history of being ruled by Kings and Queens, the country has a rich variety of epic and historical legends. One such legend dates back to the Fifth century. When the king of Wales, King Brychan Brycheiniog, ruled.
Dwynwen was one of the daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog, who sacrificed her love for the sake of her duties and her father’s pride. The day is celebrated in memory of the princess’s sacrifice and kind gesture.
The Legend of Saint Dwynwen
Princess Dwynwen fell in love with a man named Maelon Dyfodrull. Tragedy of fate turned everything to ruins as the princess came to know King Brychan had already fixed her marriage with someone else. The couple pleads to the King, but he disapproves of the relationship and asks Dwynwen to refrain from meeting Maelon.
When Maelon learns the King’s advice to Dwynwen to avoid him, he takes the news harshly and says that he doesn’t want to see Dwynwen again. Heartbroken and helpless, Dwynwen runs into the woods and prays to God to help her forget Maelon. Weeping, Dwynwen falls asleep and wakes up to an angel who offers her a magic potion that will make her forget Maelon and everything that the two of them had.
Dwynwen drank the potion, and later at night, she had a nightmare where Maelon drank the potion, too, and turned into a block of ice. Devastated, the princess begs God and prays for three things:
- To turn Maelon into a human again.
- To never have anyone if she can’t have Maelon as a husband.
- To never torment the lovers of Wales with the heartbreak she suffered.
The wishes were granted, and despite her incomplete love story, she became an icon of eternal selfless love.
Dwynwen committed her life to God as a form of gratitude. She became a nun and eventually established a monastery on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. The island is still marked as a place of pilgrimage for Welsh lovers.
Check this short clip of the island of Llanddwyn by BBC on Facebook.
How is Saint Dwynwen’s Day Celebrated?
Wales celebrated Saint Dwynwen’s Day by visiting the shrine of Dwynwen in Llanddwyn island. Lovers often peak into the holy well present on the island. It is believed that the fish in the well could signify where their relationship is heading.
Later, between the 17th and 19th centuries, sailors started an adorable ritual of gifting carved spoons to their ladylove. These sailors used to carve spoons on their voyages and bring them home as gifts. The gesture was adapted, and people started giving carved gifts to each other on Saint Dwynwen’s Day, too.
Today, due to the influence of Western culture, Welsh people exchange materialistic gifts, cards, and roses on this day.
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