St Dwynwen's Day

Category: Folk
St Dwynwen's Day in United Kingdom in 2025

About St Dwynwen's Day

How long until St Dwynwen's Day?
St Dwynwen's Day .
Dates of St Dwynwen's Day
2025 United Kingdom Saturday, January 25thSt Dwynwen's Day
2024 United Kingdom Thursday, January 25thSt Dwynwen's Day
2023 United Kingdom Wednesday, January 25thSt Dwynwen's Day
2022 United Kingdom Tuesday, January 25thSt Dwynwen's Day
2021 United Kingdom Monday, January 25thSt Dwynwen's Day
Summary
Find out the dates, history and traditions of St Dwynwen's Day.

Dwynwen was a fifth-century saint (died 460) who lived in seclusion at Llanddwyn Island.

The patron saint of friendship and love in Wales, St Dwynwen (Santes Dwynwen) was a Welsh princess who lived in what is now the Brecon Beacons National Park. Dwynwen was rather unlucky in love, so she became a nun. She prayed for true lovers to have better luck than she did. 

According to the BBC, how Dwynwen became associated with lovers is a fairly grizzly tale, featuring an arranged marriage gone wrong, a convent and a frozen lover. To celebrate Dwynwen, Welsh lovers traditionally exchange “love spoons” – ornate wooden utensils featuring symbols to express different sentiments.

The church on the island (the ruins of which still stand today) became a medieval pilgrimage site and supposedly featured a magic well.

Saint Dwynwen's Day is not officially recognized in the Catholic and Anglican liturgical calendars, but its celebration has become a popular custom in Wales for lovers.

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