Who was St Dwynwen and how does Wales celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen?

Welsh people celebrate the people they love on St Dwynwen's Day
Dwynwen founded a convent on Ynys Llanddwyn.
Daniel Sessler/Unsplash
Seren Morris25 January 2024

Today, people across Wales will celebrate St Dwynwen’s Day, in honour of the Welsh patron saint of love.

Around three weeks before Valentine’s Day, Welsh people will celebrate the people they love while remembering the legend of Dwynwen.

The day is popular in Wales, especially among Welsh speakers, but anyone can join in and celebrate.

Find out below the legend of Santes Dwynwen and how you can honour her today.

Who was St Dwynwen?

St Dwynwen, or Santes Dwynwen in Welsh, is Wales’s patron saint of lovers.

She was a princess and daughter of King Brychan Brycheiniog, who lived in the 4th century.

According to legend, Dwynwen fell in love with a man named Maelon Dafodrill. However, her father had already arranged for her to marry a prince.

Distraught, Dwynwen fled to the woods where she was visited by an angel. The angel gave her a potion to forget Maelon, but it turned him into ice.

God granted Dwynwen three wishes: for Maelon to be thawed, for God to help all true lovers, and that she would never marry.

Dwynwen became a nun and set up a convent on Llanddwyn Island, on Anglesey, north-west Wales. It is thought she is buried there.

How is St Dwynwen’s Day celebrated?

It is celebrated every year on January 25.

St Dwynwen’s Day is similar to Valentine’s Day, as it is dedicated to love.

Romantic partners may celebrate by swapping cards and gifts, including traditional Welsh love spoons. These are decorative, carved wooden spoons that were historically given to women by suitors to show their romantic intent.

Lovers may want to visit Llanddwyn on St Dwynwen’s Day to pray to the patron saint of love. Visitors will be able to see the ruins of Dwywen’s church and St Dwynwen’s cross.

On St Dwynwen’s Day, remember her most famous quote: “Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness,” or “does dim yn ennill calon cystal â sirioldeb.”

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