Happy St. David's Day!

"I do believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon Saint [D]avy’s day."

--Shakespeare, Henry V

St David is the patron saint of Wales, and his feast day is March 1st. He was born in Wales, probably during the 6th century. He became a monk, and later a bishop, and helped spread Christianity throughout Wales and neighboring regions. Perhaps his best-known miracle is that, when speaking to a large crowd, he caused a small hill to rise beneath him, allowing those gathered around to better hear him.

As the shamrock is the symbol of Ireland and the thistle is the symbol of Scotland, the leek is the national symbol of Wales. According to legend, St. David suggested that Welsh soldiers wear a leek as a badge to identify themselves in battle against the Saxons. The daffodil is often used as another symbol. In Welsh, leek and daffodil share similar names (“cenhinen” and “cenhinen bedr”, respectively).

Both of my grandmothers had Welsh ancestry. In fact, my grandfather claimed that my grandmother, whose maiden name was Griffith, was descended from the last kings of Wales. If this book is true, he may very well have been right!

You’ve got to love a country that celebrates poetry and music with a national festival. I thought about posting a video clip showing two Welsh actors reciting Welsh poetry while sitting on a California beach, but a friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) said that listening to Welsh was like “listening to someone gargling.” Some people have no appreciation for Welsh actors reciting Welsh poetry. However, if you’d like to see it, you can find it here.

Instead, I’ll share a video of one of Wales’s favorite sons. Although the video quality isn’t fantastic, I chose it because even at age 68, dude can still sing his heart out. Ladies and gentlemen, Sir Tom Jones…



Cymru am byth!

(Header photo courtesy of Visit Wales)