Wishing a Happy St David's Day to all of our Friends in Wales.
March 1st marks St Davids Day, which celebrates the patron saint of Wales.
If you live in Wales it's probably marked on your calendar - but if not here's some top ten items you might not know about the annual celebration, courtesy of the Mirror http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/st-davids-day-2016-10-7467559.
Top ten St David's Day facts
1. St David’s Day falls every year on March 1. This was the date patron saint of Wales, St. David died in 589.
2. It wasn’t until the 18th century, though, that St David’s Day was declared a national day of celebration in Wales.
3. Saint David is typically depicted holding a dove, and often standing on a hillock. His symbol is the leek.
4. In 2007 Tony Blair rejected calls for St. David’s Day to become a Welsh national holiday, despite a poll saying that 87% of Welsh people wanted a March 1 holiday.
5. A Welsh stew, named Cawl and containing lamb and leeks, is traditionally consumed on St David’s Day.
6. Across Wales on March 1 St David’s Day parades take place, and in bigger cities food festivals, concerts and street parties also occur.
7. The year 2009 saw the inaugural St David’s Week festival in Swansea, a week-long event featuring music, sporting and cultural events.
8. Disney's Mickey and Minnie were turned Welsh in 2014 for the Disneyland Paris St David's Welsh Festival.
9. St David's Day in Welsh is Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant.
10. Despite the fact that Saint David abstained from drinking and advised others to do the same, a number of Welsh breweries make special St David’s Day ales.
How to say Happy St David's Day in Welsh
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! means ‘Happy St David’s Day’ in Welsh.
But if Welsh isn't your mother tongue, you'll be sure to impress your friends with these handy phrases...
1. Cawl a bara lawr i swper heno, ie? means 'Cawl and laverbread for tea tonight then?'
2. Cymru am Byth means 'Wales Forever'
3. Ife Tom Jones sydd draw fan'na? means 'Is that Tom Jones over there?'
4. Pryd mae’r dawnsio gwerin yn dechrau? means 'What time does the folk dancing start?'
5. Cymro/Cymraes i’r carn means 'Welshman/Welsh woman through and through'