I'm surprised to hear it's the Welsh version of Saint Valentine's Day, especially coming from Wales

Margaret Williams

Even the manager of Wrexham's WH Smith - which sells hundreds of different cards for special occasions - admitted he was unaware of the date.

Dwynwen - the patron saint of Welsh lovers - 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.

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.

Myth

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.

That is why she is known throughout the country as the Patron of lovers in Wales.

Welsh lovespoons are a sign of romance

However, not everyone is well versed in the myth.

Wrexham shopper Margaret Williams says she has never come across St Dwynwen's Day.

"I'm surprised to hear its the Welsh version of St Valentines day especially coming from Wales," she said.

Local shopkeeper Sioned Jones knew her Welsh history.

I've never heard of St Dwynwen - I've worked in retail all my working life and I've never ever been asked for a St Dwynwen card

Albert Hughes, WH Smith store manager

"We tend to celebrate it more than Valentine's Day - I think more people are becoming more aware of Welsh history and heritage and they do celebrate things like this."

Many people exchange lovespoons, flowers or chocolate on the romantic occassion.

Many local card shops failed to cash in on the day for lovers, including WH Smith.

Store manager Albert Hughes said: "I've never heard of St Dwynwen - I've worked in retail all my working life and I've never ever been asked for a St Dwynwen card.

"We do listen to our local customers and certainly if there was a demand we'd look towards getting some sort of representation in store for sure."