St David's Day recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of Dydd Gwyl? ›

Traditionally, St David's Day, or Dydd Gwyl Dewi is known as the Feast of St David, a day when Welsh people hold celebrations to honour Saint David, or Dewi Sant. The saint is honoured with special parades, Welsh symbols, and concerts.

His last words to his followers came from a sermon he gave on the previous Sunday: 'Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do. ' The phrase 'Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd' - 'Do the little things in life' - is still a well-known maxim in Wales.

If you want to wish your friends and family a happy St David's Day, then try this phrase 'Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus', You'll definitely put a smile on their face!

St David's Day is a celebration of the patron saint of Wales, St David. It is celebrated on the 1st March every year and is a national holiday in Wales. This day is celebrated with parades, festivals and parties.

Dydd Santes Dwynwen or St Dwynwen's Day celebrates love and lovers and takes place every year on the 25th of January. Often referred to as the Welsh St Valentine's Day, there's a heartbreaking love story behind this cherished saint, who holds a special place in Welsh hearts.

A vegetarian who ate only bread, herbs and vegetables and who drank only water, David became known as Aquaticus or Dewi Ddyfrwr (the water drinker) in Welsh.

St David was a monk who spread the message of Christianity, and encouraged his followers to care for the natural world. He is credited with many miracles, the most famous being when he raised a hill beneath his feet so that the crowds could hear him preach.

Significance of the day

David's fame as a teacher and his asceticism spread among Celtic Christians, and he helped found about 1200 monasteries. His foundation at Glyn Rhosyn became an important Christian shrine, and the most important centre in Wales. The date of Saint David's death is believed to be 1 March 589.

David's burial site has been a popular place of pilgrimage for centuries since and his aphorism “Gwnewch y pethau bychain” - or “do the little things” - remains a national motto to this day.

Why do we wear daffodils on St David day? ›

The wearing of a daffodil is said to have been popularised by David Lloyd George who adopted the daffodil in 1911 after our future Edward VIII as Prince of Wales had accepted the flower at his Caernarvon investiture.

According to legend, the patron Saint David was preaching to a large crowd in Wales when the ground on which he stood suddenly rose up to form a hill, allowing everyone to see and hear him better. The daffodils that covered the hill then bloomed, emphasizing the miracle and Saint David's message.

St David's Last Words Were “Gwnewch Y Pethau Bychain”

A favourite saying on St David's Day and one of the most well-known phrases in the Welsh language is 'Gwnewch y pethau bychain' (do the little things). These words were apparently the last words uttered by Wales's patron saint, before his death in 589AD.

The flag of Saint David (Welsh: Baner Dewi Sant) represents the 6th-century Saint David (Welsh: Dewi Sant; c. 500 – c. 589), a Welsh bishop of Menevia and the patron saint of Wales. It is normally a yellow cross on a black field, but it has also appeared as a black cross on a yellow field or with an engrailed cross.

He has been the patron saint of Wales since the 12th Century, at a time when there were more than 60 churches in Wales dedicated to him. His shrine was so important that Pope Callistus II said two pilgrimages to St David's were worth one to the Vatican.

Saint David's Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi [ˈdɨːð ˌɡuːɨ̯l ˌdɛu̯. i ˈsant, ˈdiːð ̩ɡʊi̯l ˌdɛu̯. i]), or the Feast of Saint David, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD.

'Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus' is Welsh for 'Happy St David's Day'.

Want to say 'Happy St David's Day' in Welsh? It's Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus Pronounced Deethe goo-eel Dew-ee.

In the Welsh language, “Happy St David's Day” translates as “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus”. If Welsh pronunciation isn't your strong point, a rough phonetic translation of the phrase would be: “deethe goil Dewi hapeece”.