Today is St. David’s Day (Dydd Gŵyl Dewi in Welsh) and it is a hella big deal here in Wales.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi is quintessentially Welsh. The saint’s mother is purported to have been St. Non (or Nonita), a mystic Christian who is still associated with holy wells in Wales and Cornwall. The holy lady conceived David when she was raped by Sanctus, King of Ceredigion. Unlike traditions in other parts of Britain that believed rape was 1) as much the woman’s fault and 2) no pregnancy could result from “real” rape and 3) once deflowered you weren’t all that much of a holy woman any more, in Wales it was understood from the get go that St. Non was innocent of any crime and her piety was unimpaired by the assault. Long before feminism, the Welsh understood the rapists had sinned … not his victim.
During his life St David was famed for his piety, and he became a reknown religious figure for the Celts both in Wales and in abroad. He founded a monastery at Glyn Rhosyn (The Vale of Roses) in what is now modern-day Pembrokeshire. and after St. David’s death (believed to have been on 1 March sometime between 589 and 601) Christians would make pilgrimages to the holy man’s grave. St David was so important that even William the Conqueror came there to pray in 1081. In 1123, Pope Calixtus II decreed that “Two pilgrimages to St Davids is equal to one to Rome, and three pilgrimages to one to Jerusalem”.
In 1115 King Henry I of England authorized the monks to begin building St David’s Cathedral on the site. In 1540, the body of Henry VII’s father, Edmund Tudor, was reburied at St. David’s in front of the high alter of the grand building. Sadly, Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan shenanigans meant that his troops essentially destroyed the old cathedral and it had to be rebuilt almost from scratch.
St David was a focal point of Welsh resistance to Norman and English invaders, and there is a tradition he is the one who suggested that the Welsh wear a leek on their helmets to distinguish fried from foe in a battle against the similarly dressed Saxons. The leek is one of Wales’s national symbols to this day because of that. Because the Welsh word for leek is cenhinen and the Welsh word for daffodil is cenhinen pedr, many people began to think the daffodil was the Welsh national flower. This belief became so common that the Welsh simply adopted it, and now the daffodil is as much a symbol of Wales as the red dragon. That’s why you see so many Welsh people transforming into the spring species of amaryllis for St David’s Day and sports matches.
Furthermore, veneration of St David helped the Welsh maintain their cultural identity during their diaspora, much the same way St. Patrick helped the Irish maintain theirs. Welsh communities in London were having St. David’s Day celebrations as far back as the Medieval period, and attempts by the English to squash Welsh pride – including hanging Welshmen effigies and mocking “taffies” – failed. The black flag and yellow cross of St David flew regardless of whether the English liked it or not. The Welsh were proud of their heritage and anyone who didn’t approve could die mad about it.
The people of Wales, proud to the soles of their feet to be Welsh, still bust out the parades and revelries in honour of Dydd Gŵyl Dewion 1 March.
Wales is lush, y’all. I love living here — who wouldn’t?
My favourite part of St. David’s Day is that little kids dress up in ‘traditional’ Welsh costumes for school. My younger two daughters, Buttercup and Bubbles, were both still in primary school last year, and adorned themselves in Welsh apparel. Needless to say, there is an immense amount of cuteness.
Older kids in secondary school, like my daughter Blossom, will wear Welsh rugby shirts or hoodies with Welsh slogans upon them to demote their Welsh pride. (There are some things that teens won’t wear, notwithstanding high levels of patriotism, and one of those things is a rayon bonnet with lace.) Buttercup is in secondary school this year and has likewise eschewed Welsh garb. Only one of my babies, Bubbles, remains in primary school
… but her cuteness this year was earth-shattering enough for two. Here’s the proof:
Today, we’re going to bake some Welsh cakes and make cawl, a hearty stew that is the national dish of Wales. There are also bouquets of daffodils throughput the house, and everyone will get a good cwtch or two to celebrate the day. I hope you all, whether you’re blessed with Welsh heritage or not, have a wonderful Dydd Gŵyl Dewi!