St Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, which makes her the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine. St Dwynwen’s Day is celebrated on 25th January.
To celebrate St Dwynwen’s Day, Siop Cwlwm have commissioned local artist Doodledeb to create an amazing ‘Cariad’ (Love) window painting, bringing love to their new location at 33 Bailey Street, Oswestry.
Dwynwen lived during the 5th century and legend has it that she was one of the prettiest of Brychan Brycheiniog’s 24 daughters. Dwynwen fell in love with a prince called Maelon Dafodrill, but unfortunately her father had already arranged that she should marry someone else.
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.
Siop Cwlwm have a range of beautiful Welsh cards and gifts in stock for St Dwynwen’s Day, so why wait until St Valentine’s Day to make your romantic feelings known, when you can tell your loved one ‘dwi’n dy garu di‘ (I love you) three weeks earlier?
The new ‘Cariad’ window art by Doodledeb at the new Siop Cwlwm premises in Bailey Street, Oswestry.
