Let there be cheer in your heart
Tomorrow lovers around Wales will be celebrating a special day that beats St Valentines hands down. No martyred saints here. No we have our own Welsh girl who devoted her life to lovers.
St Dwynwen, the daughter of an Irish king, Brychan Brycheiniog (one of his 24 daughters!) lived in Brecon in Wales. She fell in love with a man from the north, Maelon Dyfodrull but her father wouldn't let them marry as she was betrothed to another. Here the story gets a bit nasty because Maelon raped her due to his outrage (not a nice man). She fled to the woods and prayed to God asking to forget Maelon. At this point and angel came down and turned Maelon into a block of ice. God then gave three wishes to her, she wished that Maelon be thawed, second that God meet the hopes and dreams of true lovers and third that she should never marry. All came true and she devoted her life to God.
She left her home and established a cell on a little island off Anglesey. In the passing years, people would visit, especially if they had troubles with love, to pray to Dwynwen and visit her holy well. The remains of a church still exists there and somewhere on the island lays her holy well where if the water boils while you are present, then love and good luck will surely follow.
It is the tradition tomorrow to give love spoons but I am lucky enough to have been given one from my dear husband long before we got married. It was made in the area by a man called Dai Spoons and hangs on the wall above our tv.
We hope this year to see more of the North of Wales and maybe I can drag my children to the island of Llanddwyn to see the ruined church and find the holy well!
And just for the Irish king here's a welsh one liner that I thought summed up love well:
"Cariad, wyt yr ewyn gwyn ar beint o Guinness!"
Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen Hapus i pawb
BNM
Happy St Dwynwen's Day!
ReplyDelete