St. David's Day
The Saint David's Day (English) or Dydd Dewi Gŵyl ( Welch 's) of the Welsh National . It is celebrated on March 1st in honor of the Welsh patron saint, Saint David .
origin
The Holy David was born in 512, the second son of the king of Gwyddno Cunedda. David was a preacher and spread the Christian faith among the Celts. He went on pilgrimages and was eventually ordained a bishop in Jerusalem. In Glyn Rhosyn he founded a monastery with strict monastic rules that encouraged work and abstinence.
David died in 587 as Bishop of Menevia. In 1120 he was canonized. He is considered a symbol of the Welsh resistance against the Anglo-Saxons.
Customs
As St. David's Day is not a public holiday, Welsh people are not free on March 1st. In Welsh schools, however, there is a music and literature festival (Welsh: Eisteddfod) instead of classes.
There are also parades through the towns and cities of Wales . The largest parade in which the Prince of Wales is present takes place in the Welsh capital, Cardiff . The national holiday is often celebrated with live concerts in the pubs.
The Welsh people dress in traditional costume on the Saint's Day and adorn themselves with the national emblems of leek and daffodil. The leek is a symbol of Saint David who recommended that the Welsh before a battle against the Anglo-Saxons put leeks on their helmets to make it easier to recognize their own soldiers. The daffodil, in turn, symbolizes spring, which is ushered in with St. David's Day.
Individual evidence
- ^ St. David's Day. Calendar-Uhrzeit.de, accessed on April 17, 2014 .