St David's Day

According to Wikipedia Saint David, known in Welsh as Dewi Sant, was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century; he was later regarded as a saint and as the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales and, whilst a relatively large amount of information is known about his life, his birth date is still uncertain. Suggestions range from 462 to 512 but the Annales Cambriae has his death at 601, which would move his birth date forward – even though it has been said that he lived to be over 100.

In a period where most of the neighbouring tribal regions were mostly pagan, David became renowned as a teacher and preacher, founding monastic settlements and churches in Wales, Dumnonia and Brittany. He became a bishop and went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem (where he was anointed as an archbishop by the Patriarch) and Rome. St David’s Cathedral stands on the site of the monastery he founded in the ‘Glyn Rhosyn’ valley in Pembrokeshire.

The Monastic Rule of David prescribed that monks had to pull the plough themselves without draught animals, must drink only water eat only bread with salt and herbs and spend the evenings in prayer, reading and writing. No personal possessions were allowed and to say “my book” was considered an offence. He lived a simple life and practiced asceticism, teaching his followers to refrain from eating meat or drinking beer.

The gold cross on a black background is his flag and most people believe that his symbol is the leek, due to a reference in Shakespeare’s Henry V, VI 1). His emblem is a dove.