St David’s Day
St David’s Day is on the first of March. For schoolchildren in Wales, this means they dress in traditional costume, wear a leek or a daffodil, and have their photos taken for the local newspaper. Even though St David is the patron saint of Wales, the day isn’t a public holiday. However, many cities take the opportunity to put on a parade and celebrate everything Welsh. We do like a party in Wales!
St David was born a long time ago, possibly in the 5th century. He was apparently a famous teacher and created many monasteries across Wales. One of these was built in a pretty valley near the west coast. St David and his monks built a church which became a place of pilgrimage. It was seen as a very holy place and at one time the Pope declared that two pilgrimages to St Davids were equal to one pilgrimage to Rome.
Nowadays, the church is a cathedral and it is still a place of pilgrimage, bringing people to the smallest city in Britain, St Davids – where there will be a parade J