Features
St David's Day
St David's Day is celebrated by Welsh people all over the world - join in the festivities by pinning a leek to your lapel or simply stirring up the traditional St. David's Day dish of cawl, a steaming leek soup.
1st March
St David’s Day is named after David, Abbot of Ty Ddewi, who died on 1st March 589AD. Little is known about David, though he was known to live a simple life. He was a vegetarian, eating mostly bread and herbs, with Watercress purported to be his favourite vegetable.
Dydd Dewi Sant hapus! (Happy St David’s Day!)
Welsh people mark the occasion by wearing a leek or a daffodil. Eisteddfod, a competitive singing, dancing and reciting festival, is also held up and down the country.
Spring a leek
The leek is one of the traditional Welsh emblems, along with the Welsh national flower, the daffodil. Legend has it that this symbol derived from the outcome of a fight between the Welsh and the Saxons.Both sides were wearing similar clothing, making the fight confusing. A Welshman pulled a leek from the ground and announced that ‘any soldier who does not have a leek is your enemy’. Before long every Welsh soldier was wearing a leek on their lapel.
