St David's Day is on 1 March.
St David's Day is celebrated in Wales on 1 March, in honour of St David (Dewi Sant), the patron saint of Wales.
This is the flag of St David. It is not the flag of Wales
St David (Dewi Sant was a Celtic monk, abbot and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. He spread the word of Christianity across Wales.
The most famous story about Saint David tells how he was preaching to a huge crowd and the ground is said to have risen up, so that he was standing on a hill and everyone had a better chance of hearing him.
The national emblems of Wales are daffodils and leeks.
St David's Day is commemorated by the wearing of daffodils or leeks. Both plants are traditionally regarded as national emblems.
The Leek
There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales. One is that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from the enemy. Shakespeare mentions in Henry V, that the Welsh archers wore leeks at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.
On St David's Day, some children in Wales dress in their national costume, which consists of a tall black hat, white frilled cap and long dress. The national flag of Wales, depicting a fiery red dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) against a green and white background, is also flown.
Flag of Wales
Flag of Wales to colour
Why doesn't the Welsh dragon appear on the Union Flag?
What would it look like if it did? Click here to find out
Facts about Wales
|