Want to avoid the crowds on Valentine's Day or simply start a little early? Why not adopt a Welsh tradition and celebrate in January instead?
January 25 is St Dwynwen's Day, also known as the Welsh version of Valentine's Day– or, for the linguistically adventurous,, Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen.,
Saint Dwynwen is Wales' patron saint of love. Instead of chocolate, the traditional Saint Dwynwen's Day gift is a Welsh lovespoon, an intricately hand-carved wooden spoon. There is even a spoon museum. The spoons are appreciated today as folk craft but at one time a good spoon could prove to a lady that her suitor could make a living.
According to legend, Dwynwen, a 5th century princess, fell in love with a prince named Maelon Dafodrill, but her father had already pledged her to another. Devastated, she asked God to make her forget about Maelon. An angel visited that night and gave Dwynwen a potion that would erase her memory of her love, who had been turned into a block of ice (stories vary on the reason why).
Dwynwen was granted three wishes, and her first was that Maelon be thawed. The second was that God would grant the hopes and dreams of true lovers everywhere, and the third was that she would never marry.
Dwynwen then devoted her life to God and spent the rest of her life in a convent that she founded on the island of Llanddwyn; the remains of the church can still be seen today. The island also has Dwynwen's well, and another legend says that if lovers gaze into the well and see fish swimming, it signifies a faithful husband.
Today, the popular Welsh holiday is celebrated with concerts, events and of course — dates. Want to know how to say, I love you' in Welsh? It's, Rwy'n dy garu di.,
