Timeliness Is Not a Strong Suit of Mine

Welsh Flag

March 1st was a day of celebration for my Welsh ancestors and Mike and I threw a party in honor of Saint David, patron saint of Wales, on Saturday. Mike made a fantastic trivia game for the party but left out St. David himself. So, a day late and many dollars short here are some facts about Saint "I taught that loser St. Patrick everything he knew" David and Wales.

1. Unlike the other British Isle patron saints, St. David is a native of his patronage.

2. His birthdate is unknown. It ranges from 462 to 512. According to legend he lived to be over 100 years old at his time of death.

3. He is the patron saint of poets.

4. Women wear daffodils and men wear leeks in celebration on Saint David's Day. Welsh words for "leek" and "daffodil" are very close so both are considered Welsh symbols- daffodils are the national flower and leeks are the national emblem.

5. Saint David ordered his soldiers to wear leeks in their helmets as an identifier during a battle against the Saxons in a leek field.

6. The United States has the second largest population of people with Welsh ancestry, second only to Wales itself.

7. The Tudor Dynasty of Elizabeth I and her father Henry VIII is Welsh in ancestry.

8. The British Union Jack incorporates the flags of England, Scotland and Ireland but not the flag of Wales.

9. The title Prince of Wales is a title given to the heir apparent of the British throne. Right now it's Prince Charles and when he takes the throne the title will move to his eldest son Prince William.

10. Some common Welsh surnames are Bowen, Lloyd, Griffith, Rice, Davies, Meredith, Price, Owens, Edwards, Lewis, Morgan and Vaughn.

11. The well known Welsh phrase "do the little things in life" are said to be some of St. David's last words.

12. St. David drank only water.

13. Some famous people from Wales include Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta Jones, Christian Bale and TOM JONES. (I want to walk down the aisle to "She's a Lady.")

Flag of Saint David