Welsh Valentine's Day?

[cateycloggs]

I have just looked Lidl's Special Offers email and they have offers (chocolate etc) under this title. Is this a new thing? I don't pay any attention to the ordinary one except to pick up cheap chocolate after the event but just wondering if this is a new thing. Supposedly on 25 January. Ps, who would have thought my first original post would be about Valentines's Day? Not my heaps of mythyical lovers anyway.

Thank you OP for starting this thread and despite Welsh heritage I never knew about this. How lovely.

I was definitely taught about her in my 90s S.Wales education (English medium).

I knew about it, school in a small Welsh Village in the 60's and 70's we learned about her. But the teachers were all local Welsh people who liked to teach local stuff, even though it was all done in English. So I'm a terrible Welsh speaker thanks to the Welsh education ssystem back then.

I'm in my early 50s and attended Welsh medium schools in Cardiff. Never heard mention of Santes Dwynwen (nor St. Valentine come to that). Have only really been aware in the past 15-20 years maybe?

I’m in my 40s and never learned about it in school. I think it’s only the last 8 years I’ve been aware of it due to social media.

Aw Peak2021 that was lovely of you to say. Dioch yn fawr (hope I remember my Welsh spelling! apologise if not) . As is said it looks like I have some deep interest in the subject when it was quite casual but I am glad I asked and learnt something today. I actually think she did more for lovers according to myth than Valentine. Again not that I care about romance just interested in culture and history.

It seems to have been a generational thing, those 50ish plus never heard of her while those under 50 ish were routinely taught the story.
We were not encouraged to have Valentines or share birthdays when I was at school so it seems odd to me that such a fuss is made nowadays. Pre-Covid of course.
My education was one of two halves as, just as I got to secondary, comprehensives were introduced after I had seen my older sister and brothers sent to Secondary Moderns, the school leaving age was raised to 16, we had learnt the old counties of Wales then they were reformed, and learnt the old money and feet and inches system just before decimalisation and the metric system came in. Also as previously mentioned first classes to be taught compulsory Welsh.

Did you learn Men of Harlech and AR Hyd Y NOs? Lovely tunes but I can't be a true Welshwoman as I can't sing in tune. thrown out of the school choir.

Can someone tell me how the saint's name is pronounced please? I'd love to share this with others I know.

Almost there cateycloggs you missed the 'l' in diolch

peak I think it's something like doin-wen but you may need to Google (phone being awkward so won't let me).

Thanks , orangejuicer, I keep having to check the saint's name spelling and would not risk saying it. also , mejon, is Santes, Welsh for saint or a misspelling?

Santes Dwynwen has never been a secret.

Saint is male
Santes is female.

Easiest wsy to pronounce Dwynwen is:

A hard D then WIN and WEN as you would say “when”.

Thanks, MrsDThomas, for the info re Santes and pronunciation.

I was trying for a joke variation on Secret Santa when I wrote secret Welsh valentine. Failed obviously, if I have to explain it.

May I ask How Dylan is this morning?

I am a borders child, no teaching of dwynwen in school in 70's and 80's. Love spoons were familiar though, as is the story of a saint and forced marriage/convent choice. I stayed near Hawarden on holiday,and went to a holy spring in the area. Perhaps I read the story there.

The same as me , picklmewalnuts, you may have visited Holywell in Flintshire. But the spring Saint Dwynwen visited is on Anglesy, I think.

Saint is male
Santes is female

Not quite- Sant is male, and Saint is the plural of sant.

Re: pronunciation, the 'wy' is a dipthong, ie 2 vowels together and makes the sound 'oy', so her name is pronounced Doyn-wen.

In Welsh OY would sound exactly like that. Like when shouting “OI” at someone. Its DWYnwen.

WY as “work”

@cateycloggs

Thanks , orangejuicer, I keep having to check the saint's name spelling and would not risk saying it. also , mejon, is Santes, Welsh for saint or a misspelling?

Misspelling ? - how dare you !

Santes is for a female saint. Sant for male. So Santes Dwynwen, Sant Dewi or Dewi Sant (St.David).

I live in west Wales.
Went to a mixed Welsh-English school,

only heard of it a few yrs ago.
I would say its obly been celerbrated in my childrens school 80% welsh medium, the last 7yrs

I was taught in an English stream school in West Wales in the 70's and never heard of St Dwynwen until my own children went to school.

@TootDeLaFroot

Re: pronunciation, the 'wy' is a dipthong, ie 2 vowels together and makes the sound 'oy', so her name is pronounced Doyn-wen.

Thanks!