St Dwynwen

 

 

 

St Dwynwen's Day is celebrated in Wales on 25 January. She is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, making her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine. Dwynwen lived during the 5th century and is said to be one of the prettiest of Brychan Brycheiniog's twenty four daughters. Dwynwen fell in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill. Unfortunately her father had arranged that she should marry someone else. Dwynwen was so upset that she could not marry the prinde, she begged God to make her forget him. Dwynwen was visited by an angel after falling asleep. The angel appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice. Dwynwen was then given three wishes by God. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed, the second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers, and the 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, which is a little island 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 sacred fish or eels that lived in the well could foretell whether their relationship would be happy and if love and happiness would be theirs. Remains of Dwynwen's church can still be seen there today. In 2003 The Welsh Language Board had bi-lingual English-Welsh cards printed which were distributed by Tesco stores throughout Wales as the popularity and celebration of St Dwynwen's Day has increased considerably in recent years.