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Dydd Santes Dwynwen (Welsh for St Dwynwen's Day) is considered to be the Welsh equivalent to Valentine's Day and is celebrated on 25 January every year. It celebrates Dwynwen: she is the Welsh saint of love.^[1]

Story

Much of Welsh history is based on stories and songs which were traditionally passed on by word of mouth. As such, the original tale has become mixed with elements of folktales and Celtic stories.

The story goes that Dwynwen fell in love with Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else. Maelon was so outraged that he raped Dwynwen and left her. In her grief Dwynwen fled to the woods, where she begged God to make her forget Maelon. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice. God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. First she wished that Maelon be thawed, second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers and 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. ^[2]

Llanddwyn

Dwynwen became a nun, fulfilling her wish to never marry, and left for the island of Anglesey to build a Church. This is referred to as Llanddwyn, literally meaning "Church of Dwynwen". Remains of Dwynwen's church can be seen today on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. Also situated on the island is Dwynwen's well, where, allegedly, a sacred fish swims, whose movements predict the future fortunes and relationships of various couples. Visitors to the well believe that if the water boils while they are present, then love and good luck will surely follow.^[2]

Celebration

The popularity and celebration of St Dwynwen's day has increased considerably in recent years, with special events, such as concerts and parties, often held and greetings cards printed. Although still not as popular as St Valentine's Day in February, St Dwynwen is certainly becoming better-known among today's population of Wales.^[2] A big boost for St Dwynwen’s Day came in 2003 when the Bwrdd Yr Iaith (Welsh Language Board) teamed up with Tesco (a UK grocery chain) to distribute 50,000 free cards in all 43 of its Welsh stores. One card was inserted with a special heart, the finder of which would be entitled to a prize. The board also suggested numerous ways to celebrate the feast besides sending cards, for example, organize a love-themed gig, set up a singles night, prepare a romantic meal and perhaps compose a love poem to read at the local pub.

The Welsh often celebrate with concerts and parties, and exchange Dydd Santes Dwynwen greetings cards.^[3]

Children's versions

This version of the story is generally told to younger children, usually in primary school or nursery as it is generally considered the most appropriate for children.

Dwynwen was the beautiful daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog, who was said to have had eleven sons and twenty-four daughters (although these figures vary greatly, to the extent of suggesting he had over fifty children). She met and fell madly in love with a man called Maelon, and he reciprocated her feelings. She asked her father if she could marry Maelon, but Brychan disliked Maelon and refused to give his permission. Maelon begged, as did Dwynwen, but Brychan would not relent and Maelon was forced to leave. Dwynwen was so upset that she ran into the forest. There, she met an angel in a dream who granted her the position of the Saint of Love.

References

^ Davies, John (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c "St Dwynwen's Day", Amgueddfa Cymru
^ Mayer, James. "St. Dwynwen's Day: An Icy Day for Lovers", Smithsonian Institute

External links

Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen - St. Dwynwen's Day

[1] Davies, John (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

[museum-2] "St Dwynwen's Day", Amgueddfa Cymru

[si-3] Mayer, James. "St. Dwynwen's Day: An Icy Day for Lovers", Smithsonian Institute

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Dydd Santes Dwynwen''' ([[Welsh language|Welsh]] for St Dwynwen's Day) is considered to be the [[Welsh people|Welsh]] equivalent to [[Valentine's Day]] and is celebrated on 25 January every year. It celebrates [[Dwynwen]]: she is the Welsh saint of love.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=John |coauthors=Jenkins, Nigel |title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year=2008 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff|page=228 |isbn=978-0-7083-1953-6}}</ref>  Throughout Wales, children and adults make or buy cards to give each other in a celebration of their love, or sometimes anonymously to entice the other person into love.{{Citation needed|date = January 2013}}
+'''Dydd Santes Dwynwen''' ([[Welsh language|Welsh]] for St Dwynwen's Day) is considered to be the [[Welsh people|Welsh]] equivalent to [[Valentine's Day]] and is celebrated on 25 January every year. It celebrates [[Dwynwen]]: she is the Welsh saint of love.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davies |first=John |coauthors=Jenkins, Nigel |title=The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales |year=2008 |publisher=University of Wales Press |location=Cardiff|page=228 |isbn=978-0-7083-1953-6}}</ref>
-==The story==
+==Story==
 Much of Welsh history is based on stories and songs which were traditionally passed on by word of mouth. As such, the original tale has become mixed with elements of [[Folklore|folktales]] and [[Celtic mythology|Celtic]] stories.
+The story goes that Dwynwen fell in love with Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else. Maelon was so outraged that he raped Dwynwen and left her. In her grief Dwynwen fled to the woods, where she begged God to make her forget Maelon. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice. God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. First she wished that Maelon be thawed, second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers and 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. <ref name=museum>[http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/faq/stdwynwen/ "St Dwynwen's Day", Amgueddfa Cymru]</ref>
-==Versions of the story==
-===Version 1===
-This version of the story is generally told to younger children, usually in primary school or nursery. It is generally considered the most appropriate for children.
+==Llanddwyn==
-Dwynwen was the beautiful daughter of [[Brychan Brycheiniog]], who was said to have had eleven sons and twenty-four daughters (although these figures vary greatly, to the extent of suggesting he had over fifty children). She met and fell madly in love with a man called Maelon, and he reciprocated her feelings. She asked her father if she could marry Maelon, but Brychan disliked Maelon and refused to give his permission. Maelon begged, as did Dwynwen, but Brychan would not relent and Maelon was forced to leave. Dwynwen was so upset that she ran into the forest. There, she met an [[angel]] in a dream who granted her the position of the Saint of Love.
+[[File:Stdwynwen'sChurchLlanddwyn.JPG|thumb|St Dwynwen's Church, Llanddwyn]]
+Dwynwen became a nun, fulfilling her wish to never marry, and left for the island of Anglesey to build a Church. This is referred to as [[Llanddwyn]], literally meaning "Church of Dwynwen". Remains of Dwynwen's church can be seen today on the island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey. Also situated on the island is Dwynwen's well, where, allegedly, a sacred fish swims, whose movements predict the future fortunes and relationships of various couples. Visitors to the well believe that if the water boils while they are present, then love and good luck will surely follow.<ref name=museum/>
-===Version 2===
+==Celebration==
+The popularity and celebration of St Dwynwen's day has increased considerably in recent years, with special events, such as concerts and parties, often held and greetings cards printed. Although still not as popular as St Valentine's Day in February, St Dwynwen is certainly becoming better-known among today's population of Wales.<ref name=museum/> A big boost for St Dwynwen’s Day came in 2003 when the Bwrdd Yr Iaith (Welsh Language Board) teamed up with Tesco (a UK grocery chain) to distribute 50,000 free cards in all 43 of its Welsh stores. One card was inserted with a special heart, the finder of which would be entitled to a prize. The board also suggested numerous ways to celebrate the feast besides sending cards, for example, organize a love-themed gig, set up a singles night, prepare a romantic meal and perhaps compose a love poem to read at the local pub.
+The Welsh often celebrate with concerts and parties, and exchange Dydd Santes Dwynwen greetings cards.<ref name=si>[http://www.festival.si.edu/2013/dydd-santes-dwynwen-an-icy-day-for-lovers/ Mayer, James. "St. Dwynwen's Day: An Icy Day for Lovers", Smithsonian Institute]</ref>
-Dwynwen met a man named Maelon, and they fell in love. However Dwynwen disliked Maelon's attitude towards sleeping together, as she wished to keep her virtue until after marriage but he wanted them to sleep together. She told him this, but this enraged Maelon so much that he attacked and raped her. Dwynwen fled to the woods, distraught. There an angel gave her a magic potion that cooled her love for Maelon (it in fact cooled it too much, as he was turned into a block of ice). It also gave her three wishes. Dwynwen wished that she would never marry, and that she would become the patron saint of lovers to console others through sadness and love. She used the last wish (although some sources say this was her first) to get Maelon unfrozen.
-===Version 3===
+==Children's versions==
+This version of the story is generally told to younger children, usually in primary school or nursery as it is generally considered the most appropriate for children.
-Dwynwen fell in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else. Dwynwen was so upset that she could not marry Maelon that she begged God to make her forget him. After falling asleep, Dwynwen was visited by an angel, who appeared carrying a sweet potion designed to erase all memory of Maelon and turn him into a block of ice. God then gave three wishes to Dwynwen. Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers; and third, that she should never marry.<ref>[http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/StDwynwen.htm St Dwynwen's Day 25th January - Welsh patron saint of lovers<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+Dwynwen was the beautiful daughter of [[Brychan Brycheiniog]], who was said to have had eleven sons and twenty-four daughters (although these figures vary greatly, to the extent of suggesting he had over fifty children). She met and fell madly in love with a man called Maelon, and he reciprocated her feelings. She asked her father if she could marry Maelon, but Brychan disliked Maelon and refused to give his permission. Maelon begged, as did Dwynwen, but Brychan would not relent and Maelon was forced to leave. Dwynwen was so upset that she ran into the forest. There, she met an angel in a dream who granted her the position of the Saint of Love.
-==After she became a saint==
-Dwynwen became a nun, fulfilling her wish to never marry, and left for the island of Anglesey to build a Church. This is referred to as [[Llanddwyn]]wen, literally meaning "Church of Dwynwen".
 ==References==