Welsh Love Spoons

Intro

St David’s Day on 1st March is the national day for Wales. What do you associate with Wales? Daffodils, leeks, hills and valleys, Welsh rarebit – and perhaps the odd sheep or two?

Lesser known is the 300+ year-old tradition of love spoons. Young men, usually sailors who would be away for a long time, would take a wooden spoon and carve it with meaningful symbols, such as horseshoes for luck and anchors for security. They would then give it to a special young lady as a gesture of their affection and intentions.

Let’s celebrate this Welsh tradition by making a love spoon with pens and paint – and give it to someone special.

What you need

Large wooden spoons
Glue
Acrylic paints
Pencils
Magazines
Welsh love spoon symbols and meanings (download PDF)
Welsh cakes (optional)

The Activity

Give the person or each person in the group a spoon
Explain the story behind Welsh love spoons
Read out the symbols and their meanings
Invite each person to decorate their spoon by drawing then painting on the symbols
Alternatively, cut out the images, colours or patterns from the magazines and paste them onto the spoon in a decoupage fashion
Once finished, leave to dry
Encourage the person/group to share how they have decorated their spoon, what the meaning is and who they’ll give it to
Perhaps enjoy some warm Welsh cakes and coffee or tea at the end of the session to create a more authentic Welsh experience

PDF Resource