Sunday , 1 March St. David's Day top things about the Patron Saint of Wales
Sunday , 1 March St. David's Day official public holiday, today is a great day to celebrate everything Wales as it’s St.David’s Day! Even if you’re not Welsh, you might want to crack out the daffodils today – without Cymru we’d never have people such as Dame Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones and Gareth Bale, Why do we celebrate St. David’s Day and how do you say it in Welsh? Here’s what you need to know.
But much of what we 'know' is based on the Latin writings of Rhygyfarch some 500 years after Saint David lived.
Welsh people around the world will raise a toast to the greatest figure in the Welsh Age of Saints - an irony given he was a strict teetotaller.
He established many religious communities and gives his name to the smallest city in Britain.
"Much of the early images are based upon what we see in stained-glass windows where he's portrayed as a very powerful archbishop," said author Martin Crampin. Even the image of St David has changed over the centuries.
"But that was never the case at the time of his life.
"It's not until last century that we see him as a hermit, or a more scholarly, humble and down-to-earth figure that perhaps fits in more with what we want to see St David."
So meek or mighty, here are 10 facts to ponder over your bowl of cawl.
How do you say Happy St David’s Day in Welsh? If you want to greet a Welsh person in their native tongue, a chirpy ‘Happy St David’s Day’ greeting translates as ‘Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus.’ To help you out a bit further, the phonetic way of pronouncing that is ‘deethe goil Dewi hapeece.’
What is St. David’s Day and what are its traditions? St. David’s Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales. The feast falls on 1 March each year to commemorate the date of St. David’s death in 589 AD. Some St. David’s Day customs include the wearing of daffodils and leeks, as well as enjoying traditional Welsh dishes such as rarebit.
1) His birthday is a mystery
although the exact date is believed to be some time between 462 and 515 AD. An angel foretold his birth to St Patrick, 30 years before it happened.
Some say he lived more than 100 years and died on 1 March 589 - hence St David's Day.
At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning from heaven is said to have struck the rock, splitting it in two.
2) He was born in a storm
At that exact moment, a bolt of lightning from heaven is said to have struck the rock, splitting it in two. Whenever it was, legend says his mother Non gave birth on a cliff-top in Pembrokeshire - during a fierce storm.
A nearby holy well is said to have healing powers.
3) He had royal heritage
His family was aristocratic. The official biography claims his father was Sant, the Prince of Powys, and his grandfather King Ceredig founded Ceredigion.
Non was a nun and later canonised herself.
Who was St. David? Most of what is known about Saint David is hard to verify and comes from stories written by scholars from centuries ago. Based on the works of scholar Rhigyfarch, BucheddDewi, St David is thought to have been born around 500 AD in Pembrokeshire. He became a renowned missionary in Wales and is credited with founding monasteries in his homeland and across the South West of England. He was named the Archbishop of Wales at the Synod of Brefi church council in 550 and it’s thought he died on 1 March in 589 AD.
