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St. David of Wales
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St. David is the patron Saint. of Wales and his day falls on March 1st, when Welsh people celebrate by wearing leeks and daffodils – two of the
symbols of Wales. The Welsh Dragon is another symbol.
David was born in Wales around the year 500 and there are loads of legends about him. Some are a bit fantastical – and very few peopl
these days would believe these stories as history – but they give a flavour of how respected he was by the Welsh people – and indeed
by all of the Britons.
If you listen to this story, you will learn something about Natasha.
PCR, St David’s Day Dancing and the Eisteddfod.
Dear listeners,
This story of St David, about the Patron saint of Wales is one that
is very special to Welsh schools, as it is when they begin taking part in what is known as the Eisteddfod. If they are successful the
festival gives the children opportunity to perform stories or poems they have written and or act in plays they have devised or even sing
in choirs.
The themes of what the children can use must be creative or modern
or take from traditional pieces like the Flower Dance, that uses the
Daffodil, a symbol of their heritage, to dance with in order to honour the bard. As you can see of the girls in green that dance the
sequence here:
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/media/1/1/7/4/4/dawns-flodau-2009.jpg
Dewi saint the patron saint of Wales, whom the St David’s day story is about, is known to have recited Welsh scripture, in the lakes of South Wales, where he lived, which gives a sense of background and the spirit of what the Eisteddfod is about. The material of the performances that come from schools, reflects culture and heritage of Wales and helps to keep the welsh language alive.
The festival itself has its own performance and concert venues, taking place between the 30th of July and the 06 of August in Wales, why not take a look:
http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/
And see how the welsh are celebrating St Davids day this year….
Bye Bye
N*
You might also be interested in our other saints stories:
- St. Valentine – 14th March
- St. Patrick - 17th March
- St. George – 23rd April
Read by Natasha. Duration 8.26.
David’s father was the King of Ceredigion, and some say that he was the nephew of the famous English King Arthur, whose knights sat around a round table. David’s mother was a poor but beautiful young woman, and the King did not look after her. When she was ready to give birth to David, she found that she was caught outside in a storm. The sky was filled with great flashes of lightening, and there were terrifying crashes of thunder. Hail and rain was coming down everywhere, except on the spot where she got herself ready to deliver the child. All around her was dry and lit by the sun.
David was baptized by a blind monk. Some of the water from the font splahsed onto his eyes, and immediately he could see.
When David grew up, he became a monk, and he travelled around Wales and England. He founded monasteries and churches including the famous Abbey at Glastonbury where it is said that King Arthur is buried. You can still see the beautiful ruins of the Abbey to this day.
David told his followers to be vegetarians and of course, they ate a lot of leeks which grow very well in Wales. The monks who joined him had to give up much more. They didn’t use animals for farming – and they even pulled ploughs themselves instead of using oxen. They weren’t allowed to own any possessions, and if one of them said “MY book” he had to do a penitence, which is a kind of punishment.
Despite his tough ways, St. David became very popular – perhaps because he had the gift of working miracles. For instance, when his neighbors land was drying up, he stuck his staff into the earth and a spring sprung out of the ground. A local ruler became very jealous of his popularity, and his wife told him to send slaves with sticks to beat David and his Monks – but as they came to attack the monks, their arms lost all their strength, and all they could do was to hurl filthy insults at them. When they returned home, they found that all their cattle had died. They returned to the monks and asked forgiveness, and this time when they went back. all their cattle had come back to life.
Other time, some of St. David’s monks turned against him, and decided to poison his food. But a friend of his in Ireland foresaw this in a dream and he sent St. Scuthyn to warn him. There were no ships ready, to carry Scuthyn across the Irish sea to Wales, but he waded into the water and a Sea Monster picked him up on his back and carried him across. When he arrived he warned St. David that his cook had put some deadly poison into his bread. At dinner time, St. David broke the bread into three pieces. He gave one piece to a dog, and another to a crow. Both immediately died. Then he blessed the third piece and ate himself. Everyone watching thought that he would surely die too. But he was perfectly alright.
His most famous miracle happened at a great religious meeting. There was a vast crowd of people in the audience, and none of the Bishops who spoke could make themselves heard – except for David. The ground beneath him rose up into a hill so that he stood high up above the crowd, and a dove landed on his shoulder. His voice rang out as clear as a trumpet. St. David is often pictured speaking with a dove on his shoulder.
David became Bishop not just of the Welsh, but of all the Britons. At that time, the Britons often had to fight off Saxon invaders from Europe. Before one great battle, St. David told the army of the Britons to wear leeks in their hats as a kind of uniform. They won the battle, and ever since Leeks have been a welsh symbol. To remember the victory, Welsh soldiers eat raw leeks on the eve of St. David’s day.
St. David lived to be more than 100 years old, and as he was dying, the Monastery in which he lay filled with angels. His last words were ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd’ which means Do the Little Things in Life, and to this day, it’s a common saying in Wales.
And those are some of the stories about St. David. I do hope you enjoyed them – and that they gave you a little flavour of wales 1,500 years ago. We have other Saint’s stories on Storynory.com, including those of St. George, St. Patrick, and St. Valentine. For now, from me, Natasha
The names of the saints live on in celebrations such as St. Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day. We tell some of the myths, legends, and facts behind this special days.
hi i cant wait till st davids day me and my school are not in wales but we are learing about him and differnt st
Hello i love this story its good xxxxxx
These are great! Which story do you like most, Natasha?
[...] http://storynory.com/2009/02/09/st-david-patron-saint-of-wales/ [...]
i love the story {helo berty}
i hate it !
cool !
cool!
i can’t belive all the miracles.
Dear fufu,
Thank you, it is great traditional tale about St David and one still
appropriate to listen this time of year. There is also St George and the Dragon to come, for April this year , next week in fact the 23rd!
Bye Bye
N*
i loved the story
i like this. im from turkey, learning english. this is british english or amerikan? sorry, im a beginner.:)
I like it,I am from Turkey,learning english.This is British english or American?
It is a beautiful story
I like this story.It’s very interesting.
[...] falls on March 1st, because Daffodils are closely associated with Wales. You can hear our story of St. David here.And don’t miss Natasha’s thoughts on the poem here. She writes these “Post [...]
Dear Kayleigh, I don’t know if there is a “real story” because there are a lot of legends… what I can say is that the legends presented here have come down through the ages and are “authentic”.
a bit long
hello ppl xxxxxx it true
dear Victoria I believe and hope that the pendulum will swing back to more traditional values in schools
Great knowledge of St David – thank you! As a parent to 3 boys I am concerned why schools in wales do not teach this information to our welsh children. My son has been taught recently how to write in Hebrew – but knows nothing about St David. Where are we going wrong?
is a saints flag purple anytime and can you download any art colouring pages because lots of us like drawing with stories
thanks for 2 answers!!
…………………% jolly good fellows!!!!!!
[...] falls on March 1st, because Daffodils are closely associated with Wales. You can hear our story of St. David here.And don’t miss Natasha’s thoughts on the poem here. She writes these “Post [...]
Why dus it say whales when it showes a pic of a drogon
yup its true i looked it up ;)
Hi
This story is really interasting,but is it true?
Whoever finds out please comment
Thanks
Bye
this story is realy cool thank you it helped with my school work and i acheived level A
thanks to u guys and ur team mates
many thanks
rosy
very ttraditanl
;) no problem
Hi Mitzi, thanks for letting us know about St. David’s church.
hey i live where st david rised his mountain
theres a pretty church there now xx
Dear Ross, Happy St. David’s Day.
David was baptized by by a blind monk.
Imfomation correct as 1st of March
It sez ‘He was baptized by by a blind monk’… Two ‘by’
But the rest was good. But not brilliant.
Was this story recorded at the same audio volume level as the other stories? It seems to be lower.
Great stories! Keep it up! (And tell Bertie hello for me :) )
why was st david famous?
good cool do you know at saint david’s where did christians visit.
Bertie,that Anonymous is me!!!!
Hi Anon, Looks like St. Bede’s day falls in May.
I think he spent most of his time writing. I’m not sure that his life would make an exciting story although he is an important saint. I found this little piece of information about him:
The Venerable Bede (673 AD – 735 AD)
St Bede – also known as the Venerable Bede – is widely regarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. He wrote around forty books mainly dealing with theology and history.
Can we have St.Bede Bertie?
Dear Princess Emma Yes, you are right, a very important date.
Dear Bertie, I remind you that you have something that is erroneous…
Did you see that?:
You might also be interested in our other saints stories:
* St. Valentine – 14th March
* St. Patrick – 28th March
* St. George – 23rd April
You should change your month “St. Valentine — 14th March” TO “St. Valentine — 14th February”
I guess it possible important.
No problem, dear.
well done you!
well done isabella!
ya my class listened to this hehe lol
cool
Brilliant story
Joel, if you are using Firefox on Linux Right Click the download link and Save As to your computer. if your internet connection is slow, then just be patient. I’m not a linux user, but I expect you can also subscribe to our podcast on Linux
how on earth do you download this I have linux and a VERY slow internet conection would this be a factor?
not that good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was magnificent!
Caroline, an Egyptian tale is a really good idea. Well look into that.
THIS STORY ROCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE ,
CAROLINE
P.S. can we PLEASE get an Egypt tale?
just click my name to go to my site
plus: I LOVED THIS STORY
I love this story