Saint David's Day

This festival has its origins many years ago and is in honor of a person called Dewi Sant ( in Welsh). He was a church official and a teacher. He became very important at the time because he founded many monastic settlements and churches, very important centres in Wales. Saint David is the smallest city in Wales and that is where his origins are from.

The first of March was chosen to be Saint David's Day because that is when Dewi Sant died. It's been celebrated ever since and he has become the Patron Saint of Wales.
This date is celebrated with many different events around the country, they have parades, concerts with bands playing Welsh music, food festivals and Welsh and Saint David's flags everywhere.

Traditions can still be observed in schools, with singing and poetry. And the girls wear the traditional Welsh costumes. The typical colors in this outfit are black, white and red, sometimes dark blue. And all the costume consists of a skirt, made of wool or flannel with red and black vertical stripes or dark blue and white. Then there's the dress and the cape, normally long with a hood on it. The ladies wear the handkerchief, usually made of cotton, which their wear around their head or neck.
Men's costumes consist of a waistcoat, a jacket, a neckerchief and wollen stockings and a hat.
Another important tradition of wearing the two emblems of Wales: the daffodil and the leek.

To introduce this festival in a lesson, first of all students would have to find Wales on a map, and specially Saint David little city. That would be done at the beginning of the lesson on a big map. After that, between all the girls and boys, could paint big flags. One big flag with the red dragon, the Welsh flag and Saint David's flag too.
Then they would all watch two videos where they could see Saint David's cathedral and learn about its history and one with the parades and they would be able to see what the Welsh costume looks like.



Who was Saint David?



Saint David's parade