St David's Day 2022: What is St David's Day, why is it celebrated and how to say Happy St David's Day in Welsh

Today Wales celebrates St David's Day, the nation's patron saint.

The occasion is honoured every year on March 1, the day the patron saint died.

Here's everything you need to know about St David and how to say Happy St David's Day in Welsh.

How is St David’s Day celebrated?

St David's Day is celebrated with the two symbols of Wales - daffodils and leeks.

The day is not yet a public holiday, but there are parades to celebrate the holiday in Cardiff and Swansea.

People also celebrate the holiday by eating traditional Welsh dishes like Welsh rarebit and Welsh cakes.

Every year, Google celebrates St David's Day with a Google Doodle, this year it showcases a dragon, which is the symbol on the Welsh flag.

How to say ‘Happy St David’s Day’ in Welsh

Welsh is a popular language that is spoken by 29% of the population.

St David's Day is the ideal opportunity to try your hand at the Welsh language.

Happy St David's Day translates to “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus” in Welsh.

The phonetic translation is, “deethe goil Dewi hapeece”.

Who was Saint David?

St David is the patron saint of Wales.

He is thought to have been born in 500AD in Pembrokshire, and was known for carrying out numerous miracles including restoring sight, creating a new hill, and spreading Christianity through his missionary.

He became the Archbishop of Wales in 550 and set up a large monastery which is now St David’s Cathedral, where he was buried.

He is estimated to have died on March 1, which is why St David's Day is celebrated on this date to commemorate his life.

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