Cards for rival love saint

As spring approaches, people's minds will once again be turning to thoughts of love.

And lovers of the Welsh language are encouraging people to do just that, with the help of a saint who has her own version of St Valentine's Day.

St Dwynwen cards are being given out by Tesco

This Saturday, 25 January, is St Dwynwen's Day, named after a 5th Century Welsh heroine who, as the daughter of a king, fell hopelessly in love with a man she could not marry.

Dwynwen wished that all lovers should find happiness and the Welsh Language Board hopes at least 50,000 people will do just that with the bilingual English-Welsh cards its has produced to mark the lovers' day - which comes three weeks before its English rival.

The superstore chain, Tesco, is distributing the St Dwynwen cards at all 43 of its stores in Wales.

The board sees the promotion of St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers, as an informal way of drawing attention to the Welsh language, which is spoken by an estimated 500,000 people.

Custom

A spokeswoman said: "It's a way of bringing together an ancient Welsh custom and giving it a modern feel."

Board chair, Rhodri Williams, speaking at the launch of the card, was urging people to take on the new tradition.

He said: "Why wait until St Valentine's Day to make your romantic feelings known, when we've got our own Welsh opportunity to say 'dwi'n dy garu di '(I love you)?"

"By making your feelings known on St Dwynwen Day, you're not only celebrating an ancient Welsh tradition, but you're also showing that you're one step ahead in the romantic stakes, while others are left waiting for St Valentine."

One of the 50,000 St Dwynwen cards contains a heart and whoever finds that is entitled to an unnamed prize.

St Dwynwen founded a convent on Llanddwyn island

The board has also sent up a 'Link Line to Love' number - 0845 607 6070 - for people to have their romantic messages translated into Welsh.

Wales already has the tradition of the lovespoon, intricately carved wooden long spoons which were made by a man for the women he loved.

Dwynwen lived in the 5th Century, one of 24 daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog.

The legend of Dwynwen tells of a Welsh maiden who fell in love with a prince, Maelon Dafodrill, who intended to wed her.

But their marriage was not to be.

Statue of ice

It is claimed Dwynwen had wanted to become a nun.

She turned to God for help and dreamt that she was administered a sweet drink, which immediately saved her from Maelon's attentions.

When the same drink was given to Maelon he was turned into a statue of ice.

Again she prayed, she was given three wishes - the first was that Maelon be unfrozen, the second was that she should never marry, and the third was that God should answer all requests made by her on behalf of lovers.

Dwynwen went on to found a convent on Llanddwyn, off the west coast of Anglesey, where a well named after her became a place of pilgrimage.

Visitors to the Museum of Welsh Life at Cardiff on Saturday can have personal love poems written for them by resident bards Tudur Dylan and Francesca Kay.