Welsh Love Spoon Gift Celtic, Anchor, Link, Heart, Bell and double Ball's in Cage - Hand Crafted in the Conwy Valley buy - CAT24-2

Give a gift from the heart.
Beautifully handcrafted Welsh Love Spoons are suitable for all occasions: weddings, christenings, anniversaries and tokens of friendship.

❤ This spoon is 1 of 2 within the Double Ball Link Collection.

❤ Hand crafted Welsh Love Spoon with Anchor, Link, Heart, Bell and double Ball's in Cage symbolising Settled Love, Together Forever, True and Steadfast Love, Wedding or Anniversary Bliss, Number of Children, Trapped Love or Special Occasion.

❤ 40cm/16”, lovingly handcrafted from Utile wood which is a versatile, high-class durable hardwood, known for its rich, uniform shade of red and protected with green ozone friendly Fiddes Wax. (Slight variations in colour may occur).

❤ Welsh Love Spoons are the perfect gift for all Occasions and Celebrations: Weddings, Engagements, Valentines, Friendship, Christenings, Anniversary and Bar Mitzvahs.

❤ Each order is accompanied by a card (approx 8.5cm x 6.5cm) giving a brief history of the Welsh Love Spoon and the meaning of the carved symbols.

Today's Welsh Love Spoons are not only given as messages of love to a sweetheart, but more and more as symbols of friendship and caring.
The tradition of carving and giving love spoons is centuries old with the oldest surviving love spoon, dated 1667, displayed at the National Folk Museum of Wales at Saint Fagans.

This Welsh Love Spoon contains the traditional elements still found in today's spoons, but the custom stretches back further than the 17th century and it's rich symbolism reaches further still into the mists of time.

The curves, squirls, circles and interlaced patterns of the love spoon echo the beliefs of our Celtic forefathers, who worked these elements to all aspects of their art.

The tradition of the love spoon is a link between the Wales of today and the Wales of heroes, gods and magic.
During the long winter nights families isolated in their crofts would gather around the fire of warmth and light.
As they sang the old songs, and listened to the stories of ancient days, the men would patiently carve spoons, whittling at a piece of wood, teasing a shape from the lifeless block.

A unique tool evolved to carve the spoons, the "twca Cam" (the curved dagger) with a long handle and a hooked blade.
It was with this tool that the carver fashioned the bowl of the spoon. Then with his own knife he would whittle away at the wood, creating the handle and smoothing the finished article.

As time went on the designs on the spoons became more intricate.
Some were double bowled, or two spoons linked with a wooden chain. The handles became longer and broader pierced with hearts and circles.
The soft curves and rounded edges became so beautiful in design, but impractical for everyday use and were instead given as gifts and as tokens of love.

It is believed the spoons became an invitation, from a youth to a maid to begin courting, and many believe that the English term of "spooning" derives from this Welsh tradition.
Other Celtic nations have similar traditions, in particular the Bretons, who carved special "marriage spoons" for presentation to a couple on their wedding day.

As many of the men who carved these spoons would have been illiterate, the love spoons with their intricate designs carried an unwritten message to the women buy they loved.
Each symbol, lovingly handcrafted into the spoon carried a particular message.

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