Saint David is the patron saint of Wales, and unlike many national patron saints, was actually born in that country. Most Welshmen are fervently patriotic on their national day - March 1st - and none so much as the ex-patriate Welshman!
THE ORIGINS OF THE FESTIVAL:
David, also known in Wales as Dewi Sant, was born some time in the middle of the 6th century, about 542 AD, in Pembrokeshire, south Wales, and is thus the only one of the British Saints to be Patron of his home country. His mother, Non, was later canonised in her own right, and his father was Sant, son of Ceredig Prince of Cardigan, which makes David, according to legend, the uncle of King Arthur. Despite his noble birth he soon took to the monastic life and was noted for his austerity : he drank only water, not the beer and wine that was usual at the time, and worked long hours and studied hard. He was a colleague of Saint Columba and Saint Finnegan and rose rapidly within the clergy and became famous in his own lifetime. David founded a monastery in the town of Menevia (later renamed in his honour) and even went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a long and hazardous journey in those days. He was known as a powerful orator and many legends grew up about miraculous events around him. The most famous is one which tells how the people at the back of the crowd were unable to hear him preach so he spread a handkerchief on the ground and stood on it. The ground under his feet swelled up and everyone could hear and see him; local legend points to the isolated hills just outside the town of St. Davids, at Llandewi Brefi (Llandewi means "David's church") as being the hills created on that occasion.
David died on March 1st in 589 AD and he was canonised in 1120; his feast has been celebrated on the anniversary of his death ever since.
CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF WALES
The most abiding tradition I can think of is the tradition of beating the English at rugby (actually, the English team is geting a bit better these days......) Rugby is, besides being a town in the English Midlands, a game not TOO dissimilar to American football. At least, teams of large men hurl an odd-shaped ball around the pitch and run up and down, jumping on each other from time to time. If you want a full run-down on the game, go to the Welsh Rugby Union site here, otherwise stick with me:
Rugby players, as a breed, are well 'ard, and Welsh rugby players are well'arder than most. The tale is still told - it will probably be written into an epic poem for some future Eisteddfod - of the legendary J.P.R. Williams and the occasion when he stitched up his own cheek, on the pitch, and carried on playing as if this was an everyday occurence; yes, he was (still is?) a qualified doctor, but that fact doesn't make it any less wince-making!
The heraldic emblem of Wales is Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon. The Red Dragon was originally a griffin on the standard of a Roman legion headquartered in North Wales, but was soon associated with the fighting dragons imprisoned by Lludd and Llefelys. The significance of these dragons was pointed out by Myrddin, the Merlin of Arthurian legend, in the time of the British king Vortigern. The two dragons, one white, one red, had fought for many years. At first it seemed likely that the white dragon would win, but in the end the red dragon overcame the white. Myrddin explained that the Welsh would ultimately, after a long period of oppression, overcome the foreign invaders and maintain their language, lands and freedom.
The emblem of Wales is the leek, arising from an occasion when a troop of Welsh were unable to distinguish each other from a troop of the English enemy dressed in similar fashion. They pulled up handfuls of coarse grass, with its white roots and green leaves, and stuffed them in their caps (in much the same way as the Plantagenets adopted the broom - plante a genet - as their badge and emblem.) The grass became stylised into a leek - the same shape and colour but bigger - and adopted as the badge of the Welsh.
An alternative emblem developed in recent years is the daffodil, which looks similar to a leek until it flowers, and was preferred by the English government as it did not have the same military and nationalistic associations as the leek.
Eisteddfod means, literally, "sitting down" and was originally a meeting of clans and tribes to exchange ideas. The National Eisteddfod of Wales originated in 1176 when Rhys ap Gruffudd held a gathering at his castle in Cardigan to which he invited poets and musicians from all over the country. A chair at the Lord's table was awarded to the best poet and musician, a tradition that has remained to this day in the "Chairing of the Bard." By the end of the nineteenth century the National Eisteddfod had become a major folk festival, and the annual gatherings were held each year alternating between north and south Wales, the only exceptions being 1914 and 1940.
The International Eisteddfod takes place annually at Llangollen in north Wales, and is an arts festival of international repute, attracting competitors from all over the world as well as over 100,000 enthusiastic spectators. It is a far more recent event than the National, and 2000 marks its 54th year.
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