St Dwynwen's Day ?

After a day completing my homework, doing other tasks pertaining to my classes, and needing to meet up with my landlord regarding the defunct radiator in the kitchen, I went out late afternoon, more for a break than anything. I went to Tesco's and started looking around their store for some inspiration for Robbie Burns night. Whiskies, greetings cards, anything tartan I could wear, but there was nothing! However, in the greeting card section I came across St Dwynwen's Day cards! Who is he?

Well he is a she! (picture above). She is the Welsh patron saint of lovers and her special day is January 25th, a sort of Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine. I chatted for a while to the assistant who was re-stocking the greeting card section, she told me that she had not heard of St Dwynwen until a few years ago when Tesco started stocking these cards. I decided to find out more about Dwynwen.

I went home and with my new found skills on the Internet I found her, St. Dwynwen. She lived in the 5th century, the prettiest of the 24 daughters born to Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with Maelon a local young man; but her father had arranged a marriage for her to another man. Dwynwen was so upset that she was not allowed to marry Maelon, she begged God to make her forget him, so God turned Maelon into a block of ice! God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen and the first thing she wished for was that her lover be thawed; her second was that God meets the hopes and dreams of all true lovers; and the third was that she never marry anyone at all. All three wishes were granted and Dwynwen devoted herself to God's service for the rest of her life.

Dwynwen later 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 believed that the sacred fish or eels that lived in the well could foretell whether or not their relationships would be happy and whether love and happiness would be theirs. You can still see today the remains of St. Dwynwen's church (see picture below).

So instead of waiting until St. Valentines day on 14th February, you can simply make your declaration to your loved one three weeks earlier than you thought!

This fable has become big business in Wales (I don't know where I have been ....not paying attention obviously!). In the National Slate museum for Wales visitors can purchase hand crafted slate hearts for St. Dwynwen's Day (see picture below) and they are on sale right up until St Valentine's Day for those of you that miss your chance on 25th January!

After all that, I did not find a single piece of tartan or anything to do with Robbie Burns on my trip out this afternoon. Perhaps I wasn't looking hard enough ........ my my attention being somewhat diverted to St. Dwynwen!