The Elements behind Saint David's Day

The Elements behind Saint David's day

Many people genuinely do not want to be saints, and it is probable that some who achieve or aspire to sainthood have never felt much temptation to be human beings – George Orwell

Saints are individuals or beings who have been recognized as having a high degree of holiness. According to the Oxford dictionary, a saint is a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and regarded in Christian faith as being in heaven after death. The United Kingdom, has saints who are classified as national saints.

The National Saints are as follows:

Scotland – St. Andrew

Wales- St. David

Ireland- St. Patrick

England- St. George

The Patron Saint of Wales, is Saint David. There is very little known for certain about Saint David who is known as Dewi Sant in Wales’ language of Welsh because most of what is known about him was written by a man by the name Rhigyfarch. Rhigyfarch was the Bishop of Saint David after taking over from his father. Rhigyfarch wrote on the Life of Saint David in Latin sometime in the 11th Century. This writing was later translated into Welsh. Saint David was a sixth century personality who was supposedly born in the year 542AD and passed away in the year 589AD. Saint David was born Dewi and was the Grandson of the King of Ceredigion. Ceredigion was a Kingdom in the area now known as mid-west Wales. The present area occupied known as Ceredigion is in the same area as the present Ceredigion and once known as Cardiganshire. St. Dewi’s father is addressed Sant and his mother’s name was Non. His mother Non is also recognized as a Saint albeit unofficially and goes by the names Nonnita and Nonna. Saint Non is believed to be of noble descent from Dyfed a region close to Cardiganshire which is...

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...ce of Wales that year.

The St David’s celebration is one that represents different aspects of Welsh culture. It’s the celebration of a man that began hundreds of years after he had passed away. It is celebrated with items that on first sight have no connection or symbol but whose history and beginnings tell a rich story of Wales’ history. It is an opportunity to identify not just as British people but as Welsh people while celebrating the nation’s saint and remembering one’s origin.

Works Cited

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/275/

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4362

Images : http://www.castlewales.com/stnon.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/saints/david_1.shtml

http://www.wales.com/en/content/cms/english/about_wales/history_ancestry/st_david/st_david.aspx

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/faq/emblems/