St David's Day: Everything you need to know about the feast day of the patron saint of Wales

 (A text written by Nadia Buttice and Juliet Eysenck at Daily Telegraph on 16th February, 2016)

March 1st is when people around the world celebrate the patron saint of Wales, but what do we know about the man and why do we remember him?

When is St David's Day?
St David's Day is celebrated annually on March 1st. It is the day when the people of Wales celebrate
their patron saint, St David.

Who was St David?

St David is the patron saint of doves, poets, and Wales.

 

St David, known as Dewi Sant in Welsh, was born to Sant, a prince of Cardigan, and St Non, the daughter of a chieftain around 500 AD.

 

He studied under St Paulinus in Cardigan, before he went on pilgrimages, travelling to Wales,
Cornwall, Britanny, Ireland and Jerusalem, where he was made an archbishop.
 

St David helped to spread the word of Christianity, and he founded around 12 monastaries in his
lifetime. He also helped to suppress Pelegrian heresy, where people believed that original sin did not
taint human nature and people are capable of choosing good or evil without divine aid.
 

Monastaries founded by him were known for their extreme asceticism, where monks abstained from
worldly pleasures, living on a diet of bread, vegetables, water and milk. They also did all hard labour
themselves, including farming without the aid of ox to plow the fields.
 

While little is known about St David's life, he is known for performing miracles. His most famous
miracle was when he was preaching to a large crowd at the Synod of Brefi and raised the ground
beneath him into a hill so his sermon could be heard by all. St David also lived after eating bread
poisoned by monks at his monastary who tired of their life of austerity, and restored the sight of his
tutor, St Paulinus.

In medieval times, St David was thought to be the nephew of King Arthur. In some stories, it is his
mother who was the niece of King Arthur. Legend also says that St Patrick foresaw David's birth.
St David is thought to have died on March 1, 589 AD, aged 100 and his remains were buried in St
David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, which was a popular place of pilgrimage after he was
canonised in 1120 AD.

His shrine was removed by Vikings in the 10th and 11th centuries, and a new shrine constructed in
its place in the 13th Century. Two pilgrimages to his shrine in St David's Cathedral is thought to be
equivalent to a pilgrimage to the Vatican and three are equivalent to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
 

St David has been patron saint of Wales since the 12th century.

Symbols and images associated with St David:
The flag of St David is a yellow cross on a black background. Images of St David often depict him on a hill with a white dove on his shoulder. The dove represents the Holy Spirit which gifted St David with eloquent speech when he preached. Some stories say the dove is depicted because a love landed on his shoulder on the day he miraculously raised a hill to preach.

People often wear leeks in remembrance of St David's guidance during the battle against the Saxons
when, supposedly, St David advised Welsh warriors to wear a leek during a battle with the Saxons,
so enemies and allies could be distinguished.
They won the battle and leeks became a Welsh symbol.
 

Famous last words
During St David's last sermon he said words to his followers were 'Be joyful, and keep your faith
and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path
that our fathers have trod before us.' 'Do the little things' has become a well-known inspirational saying in Wales.

How is St David's day celebrated?

People celebrate St David's day by wearing a daffodil, Wales' national symbol, or a leek, St David's
personal symbol. In Wales people, especially children, often wear traditional Welsh clothes. It is also
tradition to eat cawl, a leek soup.

St David's Day parades occur throughout the country. In Cardiff a parade makes its way through the
centre, with fiery performances from dragons, and ends with the national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy
Nhadau, outside St David's Hall.
 

Many castles and heritage sites open their doors for the celebrations, and St David's Bishops Palace,
near his final resting place, holds a mini festival in honour of St David.
 

Since 2003, an annual St David's Day run has been held in and around Bute Park, in Cardiff.
The event is held on the closest Sunday to St David's Day, and this year takes place on 28th
February.
 

The run originally was just a 5K and 1K run but in 2009, a 10K class was added.
Many participants choose to dress up in traditional costume and choose to raise money for a local
charity.
 

What are the lyrics to Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, the Welsh national anthem?

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, translated in English as ‘Land of my Fathers’, was written in 1856 by Evan James and his son, James James, from Pontypridd. Welsh rugby and football crowds are regularly heard singing their national anthem before international matches.

The first recorded occasion of the anthem being sung at an international sporting event was in 1905,
at a rugby match between Wales and New Zealand at Cardiff Arms Park.

 

How to make the perfect Welsh cakes
These little icons of the Welsh table are delicious as they are, spread with butter, or served with a
couple of leeks and a little cheese for a savoury teatime treat. Welsh cakes can be eaten any day of the year, but also form part of the St David's Day celebrations.

The world record for the largest Welsh cake ever made was set on St David's Day in 2014. Four chefs in Bala, Gwynedd, North Wales, baked a 1.5metre wide (5ft) cake, which weighed 21.7kg (48lbs).
The cake was cut into more than 200 pieces and sold for charity.

The best recipes for St David's Day
Here are some more great recipes to try on 1st March.

Bara brith tea loaf

Leek and sweet potato soup

Cawl

(More at https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/occasions/st_davids_day)

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!
Happy St David's Day!