Saint David's Day

Saint David (Welsh: Dewi Sant) is said to have been born to Saint Non at Caerfai, southwest Wales.^[1][2] He was reportedly a scion of the royal house of Ceredigion,^[3] and founded a number of monastic communities in his early life before establishing his most notable community in Meneva, at the "Glyn Rhosyn" (English: Vale of Roses), the location where St Davids Cathedral stands today.^[4] David became well known for his wisdom as a teacher and for his life as an ascetic and gained great renown throughout the Celtic Christians, with the founding of some 1,200 Christian communities that are attributed to him or his followers.^[1] Saint David is said to have died on 1 March 589,^[5] with his foundation at Meneva (now called St Davids in English) quickly becoming an important shrine and site of pilgrimage after his death.^[6]

The feast day of Saint David on 1st March has been celebrated since at least the 10th century according to the Medieval Welsh literature such as the Annales Cambriae,^[7] with Saint David being widely recognised as the patron saint of Wales since at least the 12th century^[2] and the peak of Welsh resistance to the Norman invasion.^[8] David was canonised in the Catholic church by Pope Callixtus II in 1120, thanks to the accession of Bishop Bernard, the first Norman bishop of Saint Davids and thus March 1st becoming an official celebration in the Catholic calendar.

During the War of the Roses in the 15th-century the celebration of Saint David, his flag and his feast day took on a new meaning following the landing of an invasion force at Mill Bay near Dale, Pembrokeshire.^[9] The invasion's leader was Henry Tudor, who linked his Welsh ancestry and used Welsh symbols such as Saint David's Feast Day during his march through Wales to encourage Welsh patriotism and gather support to his banner (a Welsh Dragon).^[10] In doing so, Henry amassed an army of about 5,000–6,000 soldiers which, though still outnumbered, decisively defeated Richard III of England at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485.^[11][12][13]

The 17th-century diarist Samuel Pepys noted how Saint David's Day celebrations by the Welsh in London would spark anti-Welsh counter-celebrations, including the burning and symbolic lynching of life-sized effigies of Welshmen.^[14] By the 18th century, these customs continued and developed into English traditions such as the making of "taffies", an English confection where gingerbread figures are baked in the shape of a Welshman riding a goat.^[15]

Children in Wales participate in school concerts or eisteddfodau, with recitation and singing as the main activities. Formerly, schoolchildren were given a half-day holiday. Officially this custom does not continue, although the practice can vary between schools.^[1] The younger girls sometimes wear traditional Welsh costumes to school. This costume includes a long woollen skirt, apron, white blouse, woollen shawl, and a Welsh hat.^[1]

Also, various Welsh Regiments of the British Army use aspects of Saint David's cross, Saint David himself, or songs of Saint David in their formalities during the celebrations. Many Welsh people wear one or both of the National symbols of Wales to celebrate St. David: the daffodil or the leek (Saint David's personal symbol) on this day.^[1] The leek arises when Welsh troops wore leeks to distinguish each other from similarly dressed English troops (some historical accounts indicate Saxon invading forces).^[16]

The flag of Saint David often plays a central role in the celebrations and can be seen flying throughout Wales. Popular dishes traditionally eaten on Saint David's Day include cawl (soup), bara brith tea loaf, Welsh Cakes, Welsh lamb and Welsh rarebit.^[1]

• 
  A girl wearing the Traditional Welsh costume for St Davids Day in Barmouth, 1960
• 
  Traditional Welsh dance at the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in 2009
• 
  2014 Saint David's Day celebrations, Cardiff, with the flags of Saint David being waved.
• Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales gives the Annual Saint David's Day Message to the Nation in 2021.

Wales

Around Wales each year, Saint David is commemorated in parades, the largest of which is in Cardiff. The parade is a non-military celebration of Welsh heritage and culture.^[17] To mark Saint David's Day and their return from a six-month tour of Afghanistan, soldiers from the Royal Welsh Regiment provided the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Cardiff Castle's south gate on 27 and 28 February 2010.^[18]

On 1 March 2010, the seventh National Saint David's Day Parade occurred in Cardiff city centre. Celebrations included concerts, a parade, and a food festival. The food festival ran from 26 February with the third annual Really Welsh Food Festival in Queen Street, featuring all-Welsh produce.^[19][20] Following the parade, several Welsh entertainers performed and in the evening Cardiff Central Library provided free entertainment and food.^[20]

Many towns now hold an annual parade through the town centre. Concerts are held in pubs, clubs, and other venues.^[1] In the town of Colwyn Bay in north Wales, an annual parade through the town centre is now held with several hundred citizens and schoolchildren participating. Other events are centred on the parade.^{[21][permanent dead link]}

Swansea inaugurated a "St David's Week" festival in 2009 with a range of musical, sporting, and cultural events held throughout the city to mark the national day.^[22][23][24] For 2018, the city followed St David's Day celebrations with a two-day food festival.^[25]

Celebrations elsewhere

Disneyland Paris also organises yearly events to celebrate Saint David's Day, which includes a Welsh-themed week, fireworks, parades, and Disney characters dressed in traditional Welsh attire.^[26]

Washington, DC holds a St. David's Day congressional reception at the United States Capitol in honour of the First Minister of Wales' biannual visits.^[27]

The Los Angeles St. David's Day Festival – National Day of Wales is the largest annual event of its kind in the United States, encompassing an eisteddfod, Celtic marketplace, classes, and a concert.^[28]

Unlike Saint Patrick's Day in Ireland, Saint David's Day is not a national holiday, though there is strong support for it becoming a bank holiday in Wales. In the past, schools have taken a half-day holiday, which continues in some parts of Wales. Saint David's Day is also celebrated in expatriate Welsh communities outside the UK.^[1] Cross-party support resulted in the National Assembly for Wales voting unanimously to make Saint David's Day a public holiday in 2000. A poll conducted for Saint David's Day in 2006 found that 87% of people in Wales wanted it to be a bank holiday, with 65% prepared to sacrifice a different bank holiday to achieve this.^[29] A petition in 2007 to make Saint David's Day a bank holiday was rejected by the office of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair.^[30] In 2022 Gwynedd County Council voted to make the day a paid public holiday for their staff.^[31]

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