Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus

Before you all go and click on translate (Marilyn) never fear, this is in English - sort of.
It's the 25th January. Our Celtic cousins have Burns Night. Our antipodean cousins have started Australia Day. While here in Wales we are celebrating Dydd Santes Dwynwen, Saint Dwynwen's Day. Here's a small token of my love that I made earlier today.

Dwynwen is the Welsh saint of love and in true Welsh tradition it ends in tragedy.

Dwynwen lived in the 5th century. She was the daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog, and was one of upward of 20 daughters and by far the prettiest. Dwynwen fell in love with a prince called Maelon but was betrothed to another of her father's choosing.

At this point there are lots of different versions but the main part of the story is that Dwynwen didn't want to disobey her father. She prayed and an angel turned Maelon into a block of ice, in some versions because he became too passionate. God gave her three wishes.

Her first was that Maelon be released, her second that she would never marry and her third that she would help others who were going through the same pain of love.

Together with her sister Cain and brother Dyfnan they spent their lives in the service of God. Cain established a church on Anglesey at Llangeinwen while Dwynwen established a cell on a small island off the coast now know as Llanddwyn.

For pictures check out Fiona's blog Sugar for my Honey

And the lovespoon? Well, that's another story. Dydd Santes Dwynwen hapus i chi gyd!