January 25th— Welsh St. Dwynwen's Day

Welsh Spoon

Today is the Welsh Valentine's Day—St. Dwynwen's Day. On this day Welsh love spoons are often given to lovers, friends and family. My cousin Linda, who visited Patagonia in South America where there is a large Welsh population, brought me back a Welsh spoon. I love it! This is similar to my Welsh spoon.

St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers. The folk tale is from the fifth century Wales; Dwynwen was a girl whose father wanted her to marry someone she did not want to marry. She wanted to marry a prince named Maelon Dafodrill. Upset that she couldn't marry Maelon, Dwynwen begged God to help her. An angel gave her a potion to make her forget Maelon, who was turned to a block of ice. She was granted three wishes: 1.) She thawed Maelon. 2.) God promised to grant the hopes and dreams of lovers, and 3.) She would never marry.

St. Dwynwen's Church Ruins

Dwynwen became a nun, founding a convent. The picture here is of ruins of St. Dwynwen's Church and below is where the convent was said to be located—Llanddwyn Island off Anglesey in northern Wales. The convent was real; the folk tale, though, is one of those old stories passed down by word of mouth for generations.

My grandfather, great-grandfather and great-uncle emigrated from Usk, Wales to the U. S. in the 1880s, after reading flyers that carpenters and masons were needed to help rebuild after the war. The Prices, stone masons, were skilled in creating beautiful buildings with gargoyles and other decorative pieces.

Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey, N. Wales

But that's another story. I wanted to share that we Welsh are celebrating St. Dwynwen's Day today, which is a celebration of love and friendship, much like St. Valentine's Day. 

I wish you all whatever your hearts desire in this new year and on this day of sharing with friends and family. I extend to all a virtual Welsh spoon.