We should preface this by saying these are just fun days to celebrate – we are not suggesting you convert from your faith! It’s always fun to mix up the calendar and try something new, right?
With that in mind, we humbly present St. Dwynwen’s Day, the Welsh version of Valentine’s Day. Pronounced Dwun-wen, her day is celebrated on Jan. 25.
Per Historic UK, St. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. She lived during the 5th century. 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. 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’s also the patron saint of sick animals – so you could try praying to St. Dwynwen before calling the vet, just for a little extra help.)
If you’re looking to celebrate the lovers in your life, the traditional gift to give on the saint’s day is a Welsh love spoon. You can also bake a tasty treat to give to your lover. It almost seems like those two go together, right?
In the Christian tradition, there are a lot of saints and therefore a lot of saints days you could consider celebrating. And since St. Dwynwen is from Wales, one of the ancient homes of the Druids, consider looking into learning more about their traditions, as they tended to be people very in tune with the earth – as are most farmers and gardeners.
