L for - Llwy Cariad -Love Spoon

I'm plodding on with the Alphabet - feb and I quite enjoy the challenge .
Today's L is illustrated with the "Llwy Cariad "-Love Spoon This one was hand carved by my father's cousin and presented to my Mum and Dad on their Ruby Wedding Anniversary
The carvings on the spoon have different meanings --
Hearts - True Love .
Rings - Together for ever
Wheels - Supporting a loved one .
Flower - Affection
According to Welsh folklore , these ornamental carved spoon were traditionally made from a single piece of wood by young men as a love token for their sweetheart , to show his affection and intentions for his loved one .
The earliest surviving example, displayed in the Welsh Folk Museum in Cardiff , Wales is dated around 1667 ,although the tradition probably dates back long before that .
The love spoon originated from the "cawl "(soup) spoon . Over generations decorative carvings were added to the spoon and it lost its original practical use and became a treasured decorative item that would be hung proudly on the wall Over decades symbols came to have different meanings (as explained above )*
Today Welsh love spoons are given as gifts for Weddings , engagements , christenings , birthdays , and anniversaries , or as a love token and a souvenir from Wales .

The Love Spoon will also represents wood for the Feb 15 words

[mittens (Marilyn)]

Great shot and a good one for L. Interesting information, too, Beryl.

[Skip Tribby - ​🖖]

Gorgeous capture of this remarkable workmanship!

[👑 AnaZad]

Beautiful capture nicely framed. Love the detail in the wood carving, and your great narrative explaining it.

[Graham Thresher]

Fantastic shot, so interesting.

[Bep]

This is very interesting, Beryl. Great workmanship.

[Paula W]

How interesting Beryl, such wonderful craftsmanship. Being creative and artistic obviously runs in the family.

[carol white]

Lovely details on the carving and an interesting narrative. Fav!! 😃

[Elsie T]

Beautiful and very interesting history to go with this special keepsake.

[Sian B]

Bendigedig! fav

[Judith Johnson]

What a beautifully carved gift and so unusual.

[Lynne Hart]

Beautiful Welsh love spoon, lovely idea for a shot.

[Sue Cooper]

Lovely shot of a beautiful lovespoon and a great idea for 'L'.

[Lynda]

That is a beautiful piece. Great lighting and focus on the photo.

[Pyrrhula]

Beautiful woodcarvings. Great capture , processing and framing

[KWind]

What a detailed carving! Lovely shot!

[Pat Knowles]

What a lovely thing to,learn about when Valentine's Day is almost upon us Beryl. Good to know what all the different symbols mean.......beautiful intricate carving. This one must be very special to you!

[Babs]

Beautiful shot and such an interesting history too. What a fabulous keepsake.

[dh (delena)]

What a lovely heirloom and how wonderful that it was carved by someone in your own family.

[Daisy Miller]

Beautiful shot. Lovely heirloom. I am part Welsh, so I was enthralled to learn about the love spoons.

[wendy frost]

Lovely capture of your family Lovespoon and interesting to know what all the carvings mean. I bought one as a souvenir many years ago on a holiday to Wales I think they are very interesting.

[Leah]

Nicely captured and interesting information!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Gena Pegg]

What a wonderful capture of this treasure. Thank you for sharing it!

[Margo]

what a novel idea

[tony gig]

Wonderful info and great shot. Very clever to carve this spoon Beryl...

[Taffy]

An intriguing image with very interesting background!

[David]

It's a lovely specimen,

[Saxa van Eijnsbergen]

Love it that it's handmade by family! Have given a Welsh love spoon to my parents when we 40 years married.

[Mary Siegle]

How could I not put this in my favorites? The Welsh caught my eye and I'm glad I stopped to take a look. Really lovely. I'm sure your parents treasure this.

[Beryl Lloyd]

@mcsiegle Thank you for looking in ,your comment and the fav -- most kind of you -- yes my parents were delighted with it and now I treasure it in fond memory of my loving parents !