Dydd Santes Dwynwen

Hello Friends

Today I will share with you a little known day of celebration in Wales “Dydd Santes Dwynwen” which is celebrated annually in Wales on January 25th.  Her story, drawn from the mists of time that veil myth and folklore, is often equated to being a Welsh Valentine’s Day.

{pronounced Doo~in~wen, but said so quickly that it sounds more like Dwin~wen}

image found on Pinterest {also available via many other online sources}

Dwynwen was a 5th century Welsh noblewoman, the fairest and most beautiful of all the twenty four daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with a prince named Maelon Dafodrill and he with her. They wished to marry, but her father doubted Maelon's integrity and, despite the heartfelt pleadings of both Dwynwen and Maelon, he forbade them to marry. Unable to disobey her father, and distraught by his disapproval, Dwynwen ran away into the forest and prayed to God for divine guidance to help her fall out of love with Maelon. She fell asleep on the forest floor and while asleep she was visited by an angel who gave her a potion to erase all memory of Maelon and to turn him into a block of ice. The angel then granted her three wishes.

For her first wish, Dwynwen asked that Maelon be thawed and life restored to him.

Her second wish was that God meet the hopes and dreams of all true lovers.

Her third wish was that she would never, herself, marry.

The three wishes were fulfilled and thereafter Dwynwen devoted the rest of her life to the service of God.

With her father's blessing, she left the court of Brycheiniog, and taking her elder brother Dyfnan and her sister Cain, crossed the sea in a small boat and eventually landed on a small island just off the coast of Anglesey. Here Dwynwen build a small cell of mud and wood, and over the years that followed many young women joined her and so founded a convent.

On the island is a sacred well {as so often happens in the ancient Welsh folk tales} sometimes depicted as a cauldron, and therein swims a sacred fish with the ability to predict the fortunes of couples. Another tradition says that if the water boils while you are present then good luck in love will follow. 

At the end of a long life of devotion to God, Dwynwen lay on her bed and prayed for one last glimpse of the sea that had carried her to the island. Legend says that a large boulder blocking her view split asunder and she once more looked out on the ocean that had carried her here.

After her death, aged 80, in 465 A.D. the church became a place of pilgrimage. Dwynwen's belongings were placed in a chest known as Cyff Dwynwen and pilgrims would bring a white pebble and place it on the chest in memory of Dwynwen.  Later, money was donated and nearly one thousand years after her death it was used to build a small stone church on the site and was called Llanddwyn, or Church of Dwynwen, the ruins of which can still be seen today. 

Dwynwen became the Welsh patron saint of lovers and, according to some, friendship. The most famous quote attributed to her is “nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness”. Over time she also came to be associated with the healing of sick and distressed animals, a purpose for which she is still invoked today. However, Dwynwen is not actually recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Although gaining in popularity, the story of Dwynwen is not well known, not even in Wales, but of late card giving seems to be establishing itself as a modern tradition.  We do not have the hype and hoopla of Saint Valentines Day on Dydd Santes Dwynwen, just a quiet and personal observance of a little known Welsh woman who became a Saint. However, we do have one other unique tradition to do with love and marriage and that is the Love Spoon.

Book about Dwynwen with a hand carved Love Spoon

The Welsh Love Spoon is the traditional symbol of engagement or betrothal was given by the young man to his future wife.  It is hand carved by the young man from a solid block of wood and is full of symbolism to his commitment.  For example:

A Bell: togetherness in harmony, marriage

A Ball in a Cage {difficult to carve from solid wood}: each ball represents the number of children he hopes to have

A Chain {difficult to carve from solid wood} the number of links relate to the number of children hoped for, or a symbol of togetherness

Cross: Faith in Christ or God

Heart: Love

Diamond: Wealth and Good Fortune

I hope you have enjoyed this tale, and maybe on the morrow, while many of us also celebrate Burn's Night,  you will think for a moment of Dwynwen and her life.

~~~I wish you all Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus ~~~

Until next time 

Stay Safe, Stay Well

Deborah xo

Oh! The Moon Shines Bright and Dydd Santes Dwynwen

Hello Friends ~~~

Today, January 25th, is known in Wales as Dydd Santes Dwynwen. I have written about her story many times, so today I will share the link back to last year's writings, which you can find here, should you wish to learn about her and read her story.

Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus

I was so distracted earlier in January that I forgot to share some pictures of the full Wolf Moon ~~~

Now, forgive my confusion, for I am begining to think that every other moon is a so~called Supermoon, but when November's and December's supermoons both failed to impress, no one was more surprised than me to see how boldly beautiful and big the January full moon was ~~~

On the evening of the full moon, I was taking my rubbish bins to the bottom of the drive {such a romantic and magical task that it is} and I had already noticed the special, pale light of the early evening.  We are a month on from the Winter Solstice, and the days are getting noticeably longer now, so it was no suprise that the evening seemed lighter ~~~ until I turned around to come back up the drive and saw this ~~~

a beautiful, buttery golden, full moon sitting in a darkening evening sky ~~~ it was so golden, so buttery, so creamy yellow, and just sitting in the branches of the trees on so perfectly clear an evening it gave me goosebumps ~~~ I ran quickly back to the cottage and grabbed my camera, for these scenes are wont to change in moments ~~~ she was already drifting slowly across the darkening sky ~~~

For the rest of that evening, she glid slowly and elegantly across the sky, sailing ever higher and higher, moving through the night from the twilight hours in the north east to the late evening in the south, eventually to rest in the wee small hours in the west ~~~ she was a joy to behold indeed ~~~

In future, the guideline I shall use to determine how 'super' the moon is, will be how full she fits inside the view finder of my camera! When she fills the frame and spills beyond, then that shall be my supermoon definition!

The following evening, the winds did blow and clouds scudded, dark and menacing across the sky ~~~

The winds were fierce and I could scarce stand up to take my photographs. I braced myself against the cottage to steady myself.  This night, the moon rose steadily, oblivious of the difficulties I encountered, and shone through the bare branches of trees clad in nothing more than winter nakedness ~~~ it was too cold to hang around and wait for her to move into the cloudy skies so I used this to my advantage with some arty shots instead ~~~

Remember, Dear Friends, next time you look up at the night sky and see the moon glowing back at you that we all look at the same moon as she shines on us all.

I think I like the bottom one the best. The edges of the moon are slightly blurred into the branches, and there is ever so slightly a hint of the tree behind, in the darkness.  Which is your favourite, if any?

Until next time ~~~
~~~Deborah xo