St David’s Day 2019 Celebrations in the UK

Is St. David’s Day a Public Holiday in the UK?

St. David’s Day is not a public holiday according to Holidays 2019, hence no work offs are granted on this day. All the business and professional institutions follow the regular working hours.

St David’s Day in Wales History

The facts associated with St David’s Day history have already been mentioned. St. David’s Day is commemorated in honour of the patron saint of Wales, St. David. If the grandiose manner in which the celebrations occur is taken into account, then it can be stated that Saint David is a very crucial figure for Welsh tradition and culture.

Although, very little is known about his personal life and achievements on a public level. However, there are several stories popular about his life based on the first text which came into existence five hundred years after he died. Hence, it cannot be stated with ultimate precision that the information which circulated is true and which of them are mere legends.

So, now the current extracts of information available on the life of Saint David state that he was the son of Sant, a Ceredigion princes’ son and Non, who happened to be a niece of the legendary prince Arthur. He kept travelling thoroughly through Wales and some other parts of Europe and during this travelling period, he established many churches and also a monastery in Wales. Eventually, he became an archbishop.

In the year 1120, St David was canonized after him and shortly, March 1 was introduced to the Church Calendar as St. David’s Day. It was after his canonization that people started visiting his monastery while undertaking pilgrimage journeys. It is believed that he lived upto 100 years of age and he was also a vegetarian.

Additionally, beliefs also state that he went to Jerusalem to fulfill a special religious purpose and brought back a stone with him. That particular stone is now installed in an altar of Saint David’s Cathedral, which was constructed in the original site in which St. David’s monastery was located.

Public Life on St. David’s Day

Since Saint David’s Day is not a public holiday, no work offs are granted on this day. All the business and professional institutions follow the regular working hours. However, celebrations take place in a very majestic manner all over Wales. Many schools and educational institutes host special programmes on the occasion of St. David’s Day. Parades, choirs, church services are the common sightings of the day. Moreover, Welsh Literature readings are also held at many places. On this note, let us take a look at the major highlights of this day.

1. To mark this special occasion, Welsh people in Wales and all over the world wear one or both of the national emblems of the country, which are a daffodil and a leek respectively. .
2. The national flag of Wales, which is a red dragon on a green and red background, is put on display on this day.
3. The traditional Welsh attire is worn by children and girls on the day dedicated to Saint David.
4. A Saint David’s Day special delicacy is Cawl, which is basically a soup made out of leek and some other local produce.
5. A special parade is organized at the centre of Cardiff each and every year, which is also followed by exciting performances given by dragons and theatre groups.
6. The other towns and villages of Wales also host their own parades and performances to mark this day.
7. Saint David’s hall located in Cardiff also organizes a very popular concert on this day which attracts a large number of spectators.
8. The list of its participants include the BBC National Orchestra and the Chorus of Wales which performs traditional songs during the concert.

St. David’s Day Observances

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So, these were the major highlights and the necessary information on St David’s Day 2019 celebrations in the UK. We hope you like this article of ours. Thankyou for connecting with us!!