How to say ‘Happy St David’s Day’ in Welsh, as Google Doodle celebrates patron saint of Wales today
St David #StDavid
Today’s Google Doodle celebrates St David – the patron saint of Wales.
Created by Welsh artist Elin Manon, the doodle shows the traditional Welsh red dragon curled up in some long grass, with a white castle in the background.
The artwork relates to a Welsh myth about a Celtic king named Vortigen, who accidentally tried to build a castle on a hillside above the lair of two sleeping dragons – one red, one white.
He awoke the dragons and they fought, with the red one ending victorious. The red dragon has come to be Wales and St David’s most famous symbol, along with the daffodil, which you can see surrounding the dragon in the doodle.
When is St David’s Day?
St David’s Day is always on 1 March, which is believed to be the date of his death.
Who was St David?
St David is thought to have been born around 500 AD in Pembrokeshire on the west coast of Wales. Non, the woman believed to be his mother, was also a saint. He was trained as a priest under the tutelage of St Paulinus.
Like many early Christian saints, verifiable historical facts about David can he hard to come by. Much of his life story is based on the Buchedd Dewi (Life of David) written by the scholar Rhigyfarch at the end of the 11th century.
Various miracles are attributed to St David, including restoring the sight of his teacher and, most famously, creating an entirely new hill (now the village of Llanddewi Brefi) during an outdoor sermon.
He became a renowned missionary in Wales and beyond, and is credited with founding monasteries in his homeland, the south-west of England (including Glastonbury) and Brittany.
He was named the Archbishop of Wales at the Synod of Brefi church council in 550, but remained in the settlement of Menevia – later named St Davids in his honour – where he had set up a large monastery which is now St David’s Cathedral.
We don’t know exactly when he died, but 1 March became the accepted date, with the year most commonly estimated at 589AD.
His body was buried at St David’s Cathedral, which became a prestigious site of pilgrimage in the middle ages.
How to say ‘Happy St David’s Day’ in Welsh
In the Welsh language, “Happy St David’s Day” translates as “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus”.
Phonetically, you say it “deethe goil Dewi hapeece”.
How is St David’s Day celebrated?
There will be no big St David’s Day Celebrations this year, with Wales remaining under lockdown restrictions.
It is not a public holiday, but towns often hold parades, with major events in Cardiff and Swansea.
Customs include wearing daffodils and leeks – two of the most recognisable symbols of Wales – and eating traditional dishes such as Welsh rarebit.