St. David's Day

St. David's Day, observed on March 1st, is the national day of Wales, honoring Dewi Sant (St. David), the country's patron saint, who died on this date around 589 CE. David was a Welsh bishop known for his ascetic lifestyle and missionary work, and legend holds that his final words to his followers were 'be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have seen me do,' a phrase still widely quoted in Wales today. The daffodil and the leek are both closely associated with the day, worn as national emblems, with theories tracing the leek's significance to a legendary battle where Welsh soldiers wore leeks to distinguish themselves from Saxon enemies, while the daffodil's popularity as a modern symbol owes much to former Prime Minister David Lloyd George, himself Welsh, who favored it over the leek. Celebrations across Wales include parades, concerts, and eisteddfodau (cultural festivals of music and poetry), and many schoolchildren wear traditional Welsh dress or rugby shirts to mark the occasion. Unlike St. Andrew's Day in Scotland, St. David's Day is not currently a bank holiday in Wales, though there have been periodic campaigns calling for it to become one.