Today Is Dydd Santes Dwynwen, the ‘Welsh St. Valentine’s Day’

Today (Jan. 25) is Dydd Santes Dwynwen, sometimes called the Welsh St. Valentine’s Day. St. Dwynwen is the Catholic patron of lovers and her feast is therefore traditionally a day to celebrate romance and love in Wales.

Dwynwen was a princess, the daughter of the 5th century Irish-born Welsh King Brychan Brycheiniog. Their’s was one of the most remarkable families in all history for sanctity, since Brychan is a canonized saint and his 24 children are all saints too! Brychan must have been quite a phenomenally excellent father and monarch, but his daughter Dwynwen was no less exceptional.

She fell in love with a young man who likewise wanted to marry her, but realized her true calling was to a religious life dedicated to God. So she prayed for all lovers to find happiness—and found her own happiness in Christ alone. But her prayer for lovers would lead to her patronage of them.

Read more about Dwynwyn’s Day on Substack.