Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus
Happy Saint David's Day
Gentle Reader ~~~ First, I wish you all, wherever you are, whatever your roots, but especially to everyone of Welsh heritage, Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant Hapus ~ A Very Happy Saint David's Day ~~~ for today, March 1st is the Feast Day of David, the Patron Saint of Wales ~~~
Let's talk about the weather for one moment ~~~ one thing I love is the weather ~~~ no matter what it throws at us, and yes, sometimes I complain about it, but in general I love it all {except for the scorchio heat of high summer}. You have to take it as it comes, and there isn't much you can do about it so you might as well find something to like about it. I love the weather for so many different reasons ~ how it marks the slow turning of the seasons, the windswept and tormented beauty that lies within the heart of a raging storm; the calm that follows the storm; the gentle breezes of a late Spring morning as the world wakes up after a long, cold Winter; the bold colour palette of nature's paintbrush at work in Autumn ~~~ how the land looks in the different light; the billowing cotton puff clouds; the shimmering world after the rain as it sits, shining and glistening in the sun; the ever changing colours and moods of the sky; I love each season, each weather, in turn ~~~ although, as many of you know, my most favourite season of them all is Autumn ~~~ but this is not about Autumn, not today ~~~
So, I gather up all those little snippets of weather folklore along the way~~~ you know the one about red skies at night, or in the morning; or the one about Candlemas, or Groundhog Day, and so on ~~~ well, here is another one ~~~
If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb
But if March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion
Of course, unlike some sayings, there is very little foundation to this one, and if the weather comes to pass according to the rhyme then it is more a coincidence than the science of meteorology at work ~ mind, they did mention it on the weather forecast and said it could be a subtle hint!
See those numbers in the circles? Those are the average wind speeds for the day, so, this year, March decided to come in like a lion ~~~ a rather big, roaring, very noisy, and very wet lion at that ~~~ the winds came in by tea time on the last day of February and blew February away with such gusto and March came hurtling in on it's heels, with every cobweb in every corner blustered away on the wuthering winds from the west ~~~ and this morning, there is a very mixed bag of strong winds, bright sunshine, and short, sharp, sudden downpours, catching out those unprepared ~~~
This is not particularly brilliant news, for March 1st is Saint David's Day ~ the feast day of the Patron Saint of Wales ~ and there are always plans to celebrate the day in style ~~~ many of these events take place outside the words 'damp squib' spring to mind ~~~ many are also held indoors, and most of the outdoor ones went on despite the atrocious weather ~~~ we are a hardy breed in Wales ~~~
The events for St David's Day do not change very much from year to year, so if you click here it will take you to what I wrote for St David's Day 2013 on my other blog Tales from a Celtic Heart {which I no longer add to, but you may like to read and see the photographs when you have time}.
We are striving in our small village to mark the day with more than just a couple of church services for the schools, to turn the eyes of the world to celebrate the place where David was born and to bring people in to the village to learn more about David and the community he established. Cardiff, the capital city, is where the main attention is focused, but in truth they do very little to mark the day, whereas, this year, for example, we have four days jammed crammed with a varied programme of events.
This year, there was an Eisteddfod in the City Hall on Friday, followed by lots of things on Saturday, including traditional Welsh refreshments {Cawl, Welsh Cakes, and Bara Brith} served throughout the day with an accompaniment of harp music; an exhibition by the local Historical Society; a Twmpath; the Annual Parade of Dragons; a market on the Cross Square; Community Hymn Singing in a local Chapel; lots of different guided walks by different organisations; and folk concerts in the local pubs and hostelries. The Annual Window Decorating competition was organised, ensuring windows full of daffodils and Welsh themed miscellany making the village look bright and beautiful, despite the grey days. We are even featured on the BBC's Countryfile on Sunday evening {the link may or may not work for overseas readers, sorry if it does not}
Permission was given for arrangements of daffodils ~ our national flower ~ to be placed in the cathedral. As it is Lent, all floral arrangements are stopped for the six weeks, but a special waiver was given to allow daffodils for the four days of celebrations of the life of David, without whom the cathedral, nor the village where I live, would be.
On Saturday, the Annual Parade of Dragons took place with the parade led by the 948 Squadron Air Corps Training Band ~~~
followed by one of the longest parades we have ever had ~~~
In fact, the parade was so long that there was nearly a traffic incident as the 948 Squadron Air Corps Training Band arrived back at the top of the Cross Square before the tail of the parade had cleared the High Street ~~~ disaster was averted at the last moment as the band held back, but I can just imagine the backlog of parade as it filed around the corners ~~~
Here are a few images from Saturday ~~~
Some delicious looking Welsh themed cup cakes on the Shalom stall on the market ~~~ I think they are really rather splendid ~~~
Everyone takes part ~~~
Window display at Mathias Hardware ~~~
Second place window display by the Candles and Crafts shop ~~~ with a handmade, wooden harp ~~~
The winning window ~ Oriel Albion Gallery ~ complete with a signed photo of the great J.P.R. Williams {one of our greatest heroes of rugby}
Close up showing the photograph of JPR and the Winner's Tropy ~~~
The Trophy, a hand carved piece of Welsh Slate ~~~ I happened to be in the Gallery visiting my friend who owns it when the Mayor, Cllr David Halse came in and surprised her with the award and tropy ~~~
This is one of my very special treasures ~ my bead bracelet. Some of you will recognise, and own, the Girlfriends bead from Susan Branch, but to day I want to focus on my Clogau gold charms, which contain a touch of rare Welsh gold. One is the Cariad charm, the other is the daffodil. Cariad is Welsh for Sweetheart, and my beloved Daddy called me 'his little cariad' so this charm has deep and very special meaning for me. The daffodil, of course, is the national flower of Wales, so again a meaningful charm for my bracelet.
Since I took this image, I have added the Glyn Rhosyn charm to my bead bracelet. One day, I will share an updated photo, and the reasons why this particular charm is so important to me ~~~
