The only Welsh saint to be canonized by the Western Catholic Church, the feast of St. David is celebrated on 1st March each year. Born on the Pembrokeshire cliffs into an aristocratic family, during a fierce storm approximately 1,500 yars ago, his date of birth is unknown but he died on 1st March 589 AD at 90-100 yrs old. He became a monk at a young age and is said to have founded a monastery close to where he was born. This area is now known as St Davids. Two pilgrimages to St David’s Cathedral are said to be akin to one pilgrimage to Rome. Allegedly, his last words were “Gwnewch y pethau bychain” – Do the little things.
The Feast of St. David is an opportunity to celebrate their traditional foods:
- Welsh Rarebit – a hot cheese-based sauce served over slices of toasted bread.
- Taffies – gingerbread shaped like a Welshman on a goat!
- Cawl – an undefined soup usually containing lamb and leeks.
- Welsh cakes – flatbreads sweetened with sugar & dried fruit, baked on a griddle. Sometimes seen on sale in Broadwindsor Community Stores too!
- Welsh lamb.
- Bara Brith – a rich fruit tea loaf.
It used to be that the children of Wales were given a half day holiday on St David’s Day. It’s not a national holiday in the UK and in 2007, former PM Tony Blair rejected calls for it to become a public holiday.
The wild daffodil is thought to have been a symbol of Wales since the 19th century. as a replacement for the humble leek which was introduced by the Romans during their invasion. It is interesting that the Welsh word for Leek (Cennin) and Daffodil (Cennin Pedr) are very similar. A symbol of spring and symbolising new beginnings and rebirth, daffodils are a positive, life-affirming symbol, with a bright and joyful yellow colour. Daffodils are strong, resilient flowers that pop up year after year.
The dragon appeared on the battle flags of various British soldiers on their way to Rome in the 4th century. It was later adopted by 5th century Welsh kings who were keen to show their authority following the Roman withdrawal.
The Flag of Saint David has been used as a flag representing Wales (as an alternative to the Red Dragon flag), in the same sense that the crosses of Saint George, Saint Andrewand Saint Patrick are used to represent England, Scotland and Ireland (of which they are respectively patron saints). It is also similar to the arms of the Diocese of St David’s.
There will be extra celebrations this year as Wales won the Triple Crown with victory over England in a dramatic Six Nations rugby match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon.
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