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nSt.nDavid’s Day in Wales
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nIfnyou live in Lanark, Scotland,nyou will hear the church bells chime at 6:00 this evening—and thennthe sounds of running, laughing, yelling children.
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Innthis festival that welcomes spring, the children of the town runnaround the church, making noise and twirling overhead paper balls onnstrings. After three laps, the kids gather in front of the CommunitynCouncil—and then scramble for coins tossed their way.
Innthis festival that welcomes spring, the children of the town runnaround the church, making noise and twirling overhead paper balls onnstrings. After three laps, the kids gather in front of the CommunitynCouncil—and then scramble for coins tossed their way.n
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nAfternthese old traditions are over, the kids settle in for some newnadditions to the festival: a Whuppity Scoorie Storytelling Festivalnand art workshops.
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nNobodynis really sure why the old traditions got their start, but scholarsnbelieve they may have been Pagan customs meant to drive off evilnspirits.
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Ifnyou live in Wales,nyou will probably wear a daffodil or a leek (a kind of onion) in yournlapel today, and you might attend a community parade, a schoolnconcert, or a poetry recitation.
Ifnyou live in Wales,nyou will probably wear a daffodil or a leek (a kind of onion) in yournlapel today, and you might attend a community parade, a schoolnconcert, or a poetry recitation.n
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nTodaynWales celebrates its patron saint, St. David. Daffodils are a symbolnof Wales, and leeks are a symbol of St. David specifically; it isnsaid that St. David asked Welsh soldiers to wear leeks on their hatsnso that they could easily spot each other in battle, since thenEnglish soldiers wore very similar uniforms.
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| The black-and-gold flags are St. David’s flags. The red dragon flag is the flag of Wales. |
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nAncommon event on St. David’s Day is eisteddfodau,nwhich is a festival of literature, music, and culture. People recitenpoems and sing songs and do other sorts of performances; we mightncall such an event a concert or a recital.
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Welshnpeople often gather together after the parades and concerts to eatndinners featuring cawl,na traditional Welsh soup made with bacon, potatoes, rutabagas,ncarrots, and of course leeks.
Welshnpeople often gather together after the parades and concerts to eatndinners featuring cawl,na traditional Welsh soup made with bacon, potatoes, rutabagas,ncarrots, and of course leeks.n
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nSt.nDavid’s Day is celebrated in some other places in the world by peoplenwith Welsh heritage. In Disneyland Paris there is an entire weekndevoted to a Welsh theme, with the Disney characters wearingntraditional Welsh costumes and parades and a fireworks show devotednto Welsh symbols and history. The city of Los Angeles, California,nhas the largest St. David’s Day Festival in the U.S., with anneisteddfod,na Celtic marketplace, classes, and a concert.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nAnniversary of the creation of the first national park
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NationalnPig Day
NationalnPig Dayn
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