Happy St
David's Day 2016:
Who was St David and why do we
celebrate his special day? Something of interest below for those who didn’t know
already !!
St
David is the patron saint of Wales and also of doves.
St
David, known as Dewi Sant in Welsh, was born to Sant, a prince of Cardigan, and
St Non, the daughter of a chieftain in around 500 AD.
He
was recognised as a national patron saint at the height of Welsh resistance to
the Normans.
St
David 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.
He
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, 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 at 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.
On St
David's Day, the flag of St David and Y Ddraig Goch (the Red Dragon, Wales's
national flag), will be flown more than usual.
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?
The
17th century diarist Samuel Pepys noted how Welsh celebrations in London for St
David's day would spark wider counter-celebrations amongst their English
neighbours, with life-sized effigies of Welshmen being symbolically lynched.
By
the 18th century the custom had arisen of confectioners producing "Taffies" –
gingerbread figures baked in the shape of a Welshman riding a goat - on St
David's Day.
These
days, St David's Day is celebrated mainly in Wales or large populations Welsh
expats living outside the UK.
People celebrate St David's day by
wearing a daffodil, the national symbol of Wales, or a leek, St David's personal
symbol. In Wales people, particularly children, wear traditional Welsh costume.
Girls
wear a petticoat and overcoat, made of Welsh flannel, and a tall hat, worn over
a frilled bonnet.
Boys
wear a white shirt, a Welsh flannel waistcoat, black trousers, long wool socks
and black shoes.
The
outfits originated during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Children in Wales enjoy traditional
Welsh dances, sing Welsh folk songs and recite Welsh poems, and take part in
school concerts or eisteddfodau.
And no Welsh jokes about sheep now...
Cheers
And no Welsh jokes about sheep now...
Cheers
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