A parade to celebrate the Welsh Valentine’s Day will be held in Aberystwyth tomorrow (Saturday).

The Santes Dwynwen Parade and Twmpath has been organised by Aberystwyth Town Council, in a bid to boost business in town and ‘to celebrate love of all kinds – towards people and the world’.

The parade will leave from the top of town by the Market Hall at 2pm before making its way down Great Darkgate Street, along Terrace Road and finishing at the museum, where a twmpath dance will be held.

The event is free and open to all.

Upper Great Darkgate Street and Terrace Road will be closed between 2pm and 2.15pm to ensure public safety.

Aberystwyth Town Council says the parade is part of a planned “programme of Welsh historic and cultural events to strengthen Aberystwyth’s sense of place and identity whilst at the same time creating memorable images that people will talk about and hopefully return to see again and again.”

Aberystwyth Mayor Cllr Talat Chaudhri said: “These are incredibly difficult times for our businesses and we want to support them.

“We hope that they will work with us this year by dressing their windows and selling love related merchandise to help make the event a success.

“Our hope is that next year, and in subsequent years, it will become bigger and better and, in conjunction with other cultural events that are planned, will result in Aberystwyth being known for its vibrant culture.

“The aim is to attract visitors who will appreciate our valuable heritage.”

St Dwynwen’s Day is celebrated on the 25 January every year.

The Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers, St Dwynwen (Santes Dwynwen) was a fourth century 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 Visit Wales, Dwynwen was the prettiest of King Brychan Brycheiniog's 24 daughters.

She fell in love with a local lad called Maelon Dafodrill, but King Brychan had already arranged for her to marry another prince. Maelon took the news badly, so the distraught Dwynwen fled to the woods to weep, and begged God to help her. She was visited by an angel who gave her a sweet potion to help her forget Maelon, which happened to turn him into a block of ice.

God then granted Dwynwen three wishes.

Her first wish was that Maelon be thawed; her second wish was for God to help all true lovers; her third wish was that she would never marry.

In gratitude, Dwynwen became a nun and set up a convent on Llanddwyn Island, a beautiful little spot on Anglesey. Her name means, 'she who leads a blessed life'.

Incidentally, as well as being the Welsh patron saint of lovers, she's also the patron saint of sick animals.