Celebrated on the 1st of March, St David’s Day is the national day of Wales, and there’s no other day in the year when Welsh people are more excited to celebrate our culture and traditions. It’s a great chance to enjoy fun Welsh cultural events in various towns and cities across the country.
St David is Wales’ patron saint. He was born on a cliff top in Pembrokeshire, around the turn of the sixth century, whilst a fierce storm raged around his mother. In Welsh, he’s known affectionately as Dewi Sant.
As an adult, he became famous for his simple, ascetic lifestyle – he was a vegetarian and didn’t drink alcohol – and his founding of many monasteries. He became a bishop and was much-loved by the local communities he served, especially as he played a key role of Welsh Christianity developing its own identity.
Although he’s said to have performed many miracles, including curing blindness and raising the dead, the most famous was comparatively simple. At a church council in Ceredigion large crowd of people had gathered to hear him speak, but were unable to see him. It’s reported that as he preached, a hill spontaneously rose up beneath his feet, allowing everyone to see and hear his words.
St David’s last words were a reminder to his friends and followers to “do the small things in life”.
Traditionally, he is said to have died on the 1st of March itself, which is why it’s celebrated as St David’s Day. It’s just a nice coincidence that this is just when daffodils are brightening up the fields and hedgerows of Wales!
St David was officially canonised as a saint in 1120. But by that point he had already become a symbol of the Welsh people, who hoped that one day they would be able to unite and resist Anglo-Saxon dominance “under Saint David’s banner”. This banner is a black flag with a yellow cross, still sometimes flown at Welsh cultural events along with the dragon flag.
Also by that point, the 1st of March was already being widely celebrated as a day to enjoy Welsh traditions and identity. Often this was done with a political bent – Welsh people were affirming their right to national independence. This wasn’t always appreciated by English friends and neighbours, and was sometimes even met by counter-celebrations making fun of the Welsh.
But despite opposition, the custom of commemorating St David’s Day has persisted up until today, and has become a really significant event in the calendar of the year.
Interestingly, St David’s Day is still not officially marked as a bank holiday in Wales, despite its importance and how widely celebrated it is. In general, there is strong support in Wales for the day to become a bank holiday, and some county councils have already made it a paid holiday for their staff.
What To Do on St David’s Day in Wales
Since this day is so special, it only makes sense that it’s celebrated throughout the country with events like concerts, parades, and eisteddfods (these last are competition-based festivals of music and poetry). Honestly, wherever you are in Wales, there will be something fun to do!
If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration for your March-time plans, here are some ideas for exciting things to do on St David’s Day this year.
Parade through the streets of Cardiff. The St David’s Day parade is the most iconic celebration of this special day. Schools and community groups march through Cardiff waving the St David’s and dragon flags. Although the Cardiff event is the biggest, there are parades in towns and cities throughout the country, such as Swansea, Aberystwyth, Wrexham and Bangor.
Eat, drink, sing and dance at Swansea’s Croeso festival. Fittingly, this festival is mainly based at St David’s Place, but it sprawls through the city with plenty to do. Traditional foods and handcrafted goods are sold, there are musical performances and dancing, and also support for those learning to speak Welsh.
Attend a mini-Eisteddfod in Llangollen. Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a yearly event welcoming acts from all over the world to perform in Wales. This year they are holding a special event on St David’s Day, which will feature hymn-singing and band performances, and will raise money to support international acts to attend the Eisteddfod later in the year.
Take a tour of Caerphilly castle. If you prefer the quiet life and celebrating in your own time, why not organise a tour around Wales’ largest castle? Tours are available this year on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of March and are led by experienced custodians who’ll regale you with stories of Welsh history and mythology.
Visit St Davids itself – the UK’s smallest city! Not only is St David’s lovely to visit anyway in its own right, but there are often events on around the first of March, organised by and surrounding the St David’s cathedral which is why this tiny settlement of only 2,000 people has the status of a society.
Enjoy some patriotic music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. RWCMD hosts some great concerts throughout the year for lovers of classical and jazz music. If that’s you, you shouldn’t miss this year’s performance by their brass band, who will be playing a range of music including Welsh folk classics.
Bring the kids to craft a dragon-themed headdress, then dance to your heart’s content. There’s always a lot to do at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. Combine a family arts-and-crafts adventure with a visit to the museum’s twmpath, a Welsh community dance event similar to the Scottish ceilidh.
Get some exercise at the St David’s Day Run. This isn’t the only themed run you can take part in around St David’s Day, but it’s probably the biggest one, and its being based in Cardiff means it’s fairly accessible. You can choose whether to take on 5k, 10k, or a half-marathon, and by doing so support Cancer Research Wales and Kidney Support Wales.
Explore Powis Castle and Garden. Powis Castle, near Welshpool, is one of Powys’ most magnificent sites to explore, with a gorgeous medieval castle and rolling gardens. On St David’s Day, you can get free entry just by showing up in traditional Welsh costumes! And there’s even more to do than usual, with Welsh stories being read in the library.
Learn more about Welsh history – plus see some cute lambs! St Fagan’s is another great museum to spend St David’s Day exploring at, especially as it’s right next to Llwyn-yr-eos farm, where lambing is open to the public every day in spring. You can also enjoy harp music and take part in traditional folk dancing.
But honestly, you don’t have to do anything to make St David’s Day a special day. Traditionally, children dress up in Welsh folk dress, families enjoy a hearty meal of leek and lamb soup (cawl), and taking time to be with loved ones is the top priority.
Celebrating the 1st of March can be as simple as popping a bunch of daffodils on your kitchen counter, or listening to some lovely Welsh folk music as you potter around the house. What are you doing to celebrate this year?
Photo Credits
Photos of Saint David and first photo of Daffodils are from the Wales Asset database. © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2022) Cymru Wales.
All the other remaining photos are property of Mathieu Gasquet / We Travel Wales.
