Cwtches explained!

 

What is a Cwtch?

As some of you lovely crafty cwtch blog readers might not be welsh you might not know what the word cwtch means or where it comes from, or you might just be welsh and have always wanted to know a little more about this fabulous little word and the welsh language (wenglish)either way if your interested read on for some more rather interesting information. 

Cwtch is the Welsh word for cuddle, not just any type of cuddle however, a rather special one, blessed with the warmth and generosity of the Welsh, a truly free flowing expression of love and acceptance.

Remember that lovely warm feeling you used to get when a special person put their arms around you, sheltering you from the world and its pressures, at least momentarily. Ahhh... that's a Cwtch. In that single instant you had nothing to fear not a care nor a concern in the world. All pressures, and problems were removed allowing your spirit to soar upwards free from the day to day troubles of life. Pass it On!
That’s what I give you right now! This wonderful love that all encompassing feeling of warmth that reaffirms your place in the universe, not to mention your immeasurable worth as a human being, a special person unlike anyone else.
A recipient of this special kind of love only found in Wales. If you’re Welsh then you already know about this special love, if you’re not then become an honorary Welsh man or woman and pass the Cwtch onto someone else.
  In 2005 the Oxford English Dictionary included "cwtch" for the first time, describing it as, "Noun (Welsh) 1. a cupboard or cubbyhole. 2. a cuddle or hug.

What is Wenglish?
Although a lot of people in Wales don't speak Welsh, the influence the Welsh language has had on the way we speak is huge. We regularly use Welsh words mixed in with our English vocabulary and our sentence structure is often governed by the way you would say things in Welsh. This mixture of a language is called Wenglish.

Cwtch is the nations favourite word!
Cwtch, the Welsh word for cuddle, has emerged as the favourite word in Wales, according to a recent survey, and the word is now heard popping up on popular TV shows such as Gavin and Stacey.

Cwtch, or Cwtsh, has been adopted by many in the cross-over language of Wenglish and is particularly popular in the South Wales valleys. Linguist Professor David Crystal admitted it was quite unusual to have such a strongly Welsh word feature so highly in a survey.

 

BT Openreach asked 50,000 people to contribute a word worth £1 for the charity 'I Can' to develop children's language skills.
The top word voted for across the UK in the internet Wall of Words was "love" with "hope" and "happy" also featuring in the top 10. Professor Crystal, who is based in Holyhead on Anglesey, said it was not surprising then that the Welsh for cuddle should feature so prominently. "It's heart-warming to see that, despite all our daily pressures and worries, so many positive emotional words are turning up in this list," he said. 'To love and to cwtch' Cardiff journalist Steve Johnson and his wife Tracy Goode, who are both originally from the valleys, took the word "cwtch" into their hearts, using it as part of their wedding vows when they married in December 2005. "We said 'to love and to cwtch' instead of 'to love and to hold'," explained Steve. "We start each day with a cwtch and end with a cwtch. We're the cwtching couple of Canton!" he said. 

Here are some directions for those of you still not sure lol! 

 Maybe we should all try this welsh or not and start and end each day with a cwtch whether crafty or not.
Pip.x