St. David's Day

If you're lucky enough to be in Wales on March 1st, you would join the country in celebrating St. David's Day one way or another. Who was St. David and why is he so important to the Welsh?

St. David

Well, St. David, or Dewi Sant as the Welsh call him, is the saint of all saints in Wales. He was a Celtic monk, Abbot and Bishop during the sixth century. He set up several monasteries in Wales and western England.

There are a lot of prophecies and miracles that Dewi Sant is said to have performed. One miracle often told is that once while Dewi was preaching to a crowd, those in the far back couldn't hear him. Because they didn't have megaphones back then, the story goes that he spread a handkerchief on the ground, stood on it to preach and all of a sudden, like an alien on Roswell, he was hovering above the crowd and everyone could hear him.

Tradition

Not a lot is certain about Dewi but March 1st was chosen to honor him because it's the day he apparently died. In the 18th century it became a national festival for the Welsh. The celebration usually means singing and eating. The Red Dragon is worn as a pin or - get this - leeks are worn and sometimes eaten. In schools in Wales, the boys take leeks to school and the one with the biggest leek becomes the "cool" kid.

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