Wales celebrates St. David's Day on March 1st, the patron saint of the country, by donning the two national flowers, daffodils and leeks. Another symbol is the Welsh dragon.
David is the subject of numerous stories, having been born in Wales in 500. While some of these tales are a little fanciful and not many people today would take them seriously as historical accounts, they nonetheless convey the sense of admiration that the Welsh people, and indeed all Britons, had for him.
Some claim that David's father, the King of Ceredigion, was the nephew of the well-known English King Arthur, who seated his knights around a circular table. The King neglected David's mother, a young woman of great beauty but with little means. When she went to give birth to David, she discovered that a storm had trapped her outside. There were incredible lightning strikes and loud, terrible thunderclaps in the sky. All around, hail and rain were falling, but not where she was getting ready to give birth. It was sunny and dry all around her.
The blind monk baptised David. As soon as some of the font's water splashed into his eyes, he was able to see.
After growing up, David journeyed around Wales and England as a monk. He established churches and monasteries, notably the well-known Abbey in Glastonbury, where it is said that King Arthur is interred. Even now, you can still view the stunning Abbey ruins.
Naturally, after David urged his disciples to adopt a vegetarian diet, they consumed an abundance of leeks, which thrive in Wales. Much more had to be given up by the monks who joined him. They farmed without the help of animals; in fact, they dragged ploughs by hand rather than using oxen. They were forbidden from having any material belongings, and if one of them mentioned "My book," he would have to perform a penance, which is a form of penance.
Perhaps because he was gifted with the ability to perform miracles, St. David gained a lot of popularity despite his harsh ways. For example, he drove his staff into the ground as his neighbor's property began to dry up, and a spring emerged. When the local monarch realised how popular David was, he became envious and ordered his wife to send slaves with sticks to beat David and his monks. However, when the slaves arrived to attack the monks, their arms gave out and they were left with nothing to do but hurl dirty obscenities at them. Upon their arrival at home, they discovered that all of their animals had perished. They went back to the monks and begged for their pardon. When they returned this time, every one of their animals was alive.
A friend of St. David's in Ireland predicted in a dream that some of his monks would turn against him and decide to poison his meals, so he sent St. Scuthyn to warn him. Scuthyn wade into the Irish Sea, where a sea monster took him up on his back and carried him across because no ships were prepared to transport him to Wales. He informed St. David upon his arrival that his cook had mixed a lethal poison into his bread. St. David broke the bread into three pieces at suppertime. He fed one portion to a dog, and the other to a crow; both of them perished right away. After that, he ate the third piece after blessing it. Everyone in attendance believed he would undoubtedly pass away as well, but he was well.
At a major religious gathering, he performed his most well-known miracle. With the exception of David, none of the other bishops who spoke could be heard over the large throng in the audience. A dove perched on his shoulder as he stood tall above the throng thanks to the earth beneath him rising up into a hill. His tone was as distinct as a trumpet. A dove is frequently seen perched on St. David's shoulder as he speaks.
David was made Bishop of all the Britons, not only the Welsh. During the era, the Britons frequently had to repel European Saxon invasions. Prior to a significant conflict, St. David instructed the British troops to use leeks as a sort of headgear. Since they emerged victorious in the conflict, leeks have come to represent Wales. On St. David's Day eve, Welsh soldiers consume raw leeks as a way to commemorate the triumph.
St. David survived to be almost a century old, and as he lay dying, angels surrounded the monastery where he was being housed. "Do the little things in life," or "Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd," was his final words, and it is now a popular proverb in Wales.
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