St Dwynwen’s Day: Celebrating Love the Ancient Welsh Way (It's Older than Valentine's!)
Did you know that celebrating St. Dwynwen's Day predates Valentine's?
Long before Valentine’s Day became a global phenomenon, we were celebrating our own patron saint of lovers in Wales: Santes Dwynwen.
Santes Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and her feast day (Dydd Santes Dwynwen) has been observed in Wales on 25 January for centuries. Devotion to her dates back to the medieval period, long before Valentine’s Day became the commercial, global celebration we recognise today.
While St Valentine himself was an early Christian martyr (3rd century), Valentine’s Day as a widespread romantic tradition didn’t really take hold until the late Middle Ages (thanks largely to poets like Chaucer), and it only became a global phenomenon in the 19th–20th centuries.
Who Was St. Dwynwen?
Living in the 5th century, Dwynwen was the daughter of King Brychan Brycheiniog and she fell deeply in love with a prince named Maelon. They married in the heat of passion and lived happily ever after… or perhaps they would have if it were not for the fact that her father had already promised her to another.
Maelon, in a fit of rage and rejection, attacked Dwynwen then stormed off in a huff - major red flags, bullet dodged tbh. Heartbroken, Dwynwen fled to the woods and prayed for help. An angel appeared and gave her a potion to forget Maelon, but it accidentally turned him into a block of ice! God then granted Dwynwen three wishes: she wished for Maelon to be thawed and freed from his love for her, for God to look after all true lovers and mend broken hearts, and that she would never marry. She spent the rest of her life as a nun on the beautiful, secluded Ynys Llanddwyn (Llanddwyn Island) helping people with matters of the heart.
Love and marriage has changed a lot over the intervening years: arranged marriage numbers are down and it is vanishingly rare for a memory potion to accidentally freeze a person in ice, especially angel-produced potions. In a world of digital dating, the legend of Dwynwen reminds us of the enduring power of love, sincerity and devotion but also shows cooler heads prevailing over hot hearts, forgiveness and selflessness. All just as relevant in affairs of the heart today as in the 5th century.
Whether you are celebrating a new spark of romance or a lifetime of devotion, doing it the “Welsh Way" connects you to centuries of tradition. And who says you can only celebrate love once a year anyway?