Valentine's Day, Part III Other Celebrations- St. Dwynwen's Day

Thanks, to Soccer Dad, I have found out about St. Dwynwen's Day. St. Dwynwen's Day is January 25th, and is considered the Welsh Valentine's Day. St. Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers. St. Dwynwen is known for saying: "Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness."

One source states that Dwynwen was granted three wishes after she had been scorned in love, and one of those wishes was for the prince who scorned her to be turned to ice. Not very cheerful. The other source states:

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.

That sounds a lot more saint-like to me.

So, if you are ever in love, and looking for a patron saint, or if you want to celebrate a lovely-lovey day, but don't want to deal with the crowded restaurants and inflated flower prices on Valentine's Day, check out your Welsh roots, and St. Dwynwen.