St David is the patron of Wales and his feast day is celebrated on 1st March. David lived in Wales from around 500 to 589 and was a church official. There is some doubt about his birth date but much is known about his life and date of death.
David was the son of ‘sanctus rex ceredigionis’ which can translate from Latin as either ‘Sandde, King of Ceredigion’ or ‘holy king of Ceredigion’, Ceredigion being a mid costal area of Wales. He was born, according to legend, during a violent storm on a cliff top. David became known for his founding of monasteries and his Christian teaching that spread beyond Wales to Cornwall and northern France. He travelled to Jerusalem and Rome, was known as Abbot of Menevia and was appointed to the role of bishop. He was officially recognised as a saint in 1190 by Pope Callixtus II.
The City of St David’s in Pembrokeshire that derives its name, and that of its cathedral from David, is the smallest city in the UK. The present cathedral, which is the burial place of St David, was much restored in 1793, but its origins go back to St David’s time and were an important part in maintaining law and order in early medieval times.
The anniversary of his death on 1st March was declared a national day of celebration in the 18th century and the national symbols of Wales, the leek or the daffodil, are proudly worn. The daffodil became symbolic as it is in flower during the spring
celebrations of St David. The leek is said to have been adopted after King Cadwaladir ordered his soldiers to wear a leek on their helmets during battle as a means of identification. Indeed, Shakespeare refers to the leek as a Welsh symbol in his play Henry V.
So we wish you a happy St David’s day this year wherever you celebrate it.