Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen – The Welsh Valentines Day

If you’re looking to score a couple of additional brownie points this Valentines, forget looking to the French for inspiration, its the Welsh you need to look to…

Dwynen (pronounced Doo-In-Wen) is the Welsh Saint of Love and in her honor, on the 25th January, we celebrate giving gifts and cards to our loved ones. Some go that extra mile by giving a traditional Welsh love spoon as a token of their love….

Love spoons are from Celtic roots and originate from when a young man wanted to show a girl of his wish to court her. Carved from wood, they would include different symbols representing what they wanted to tell their love interest; a key represents his giving of his heart and home, a chain represents a wanting of being together and a cage housing balls indicates the want of children and the number of balls showed how many. These are just a couple of the many other symbols which means that each and every spoon has a different and significant meaning to the recipient.

So why not whisk your loved one away to a mountain cottage complete with log fire, go walking on the beach and in the mountains whilst regaling the story of Dwynwen followed by a lazy pub lunch and if you’re really feeling the Welsh way of things, giving that special person your very own choice of love spoon…..you could also visit the remains of Dwynen’s convent on island of Llanddwyn, off the coast of Anglesey where It’s believed the well is home to sacred fish who can predict whether a couples relationship will succeed; if the fish are seen to be active when visiting the well, it is seen as a sign of a faithful husband….

Here are some Dioni Cottages you might be interested in:

NANT – a self catering barn conversion on a traditional working welsh hill farm in Snowdonia. Real log fire, underfloor heating, oak beams and high vaulted ceilings.

TY-BACH-TWT – This stylish one bedroom cottage 2 minutes from the beach is luxuriously appointed and tastefully decorated offering the perfect retreat for couples looking to explore this beautiful part of North Wales.

BWTHYN-GONWY – One bedroom holiday cottage near Barmouth in the popular seaside town of Tal Y Bont near Barmouth. Ground floor accommodation. Traditional seaside holiday.

LAUNDRY COTTAGE – Laundry-Cottage is a romantic self catering cottage in Dyffryn Ardudwy and just oozes character. A unique 14th Century stone built cottage near the sea.