St. David's Day

March 1st was St. David's Day in Wales.  I had intended to post something about it then and got distracted so I will do it now.  Wales is on my list of places that would be fun to see if I go to the UK and have a little time but it is kind of out of the way.  It is the "knees" part of Great Britain and is part of the United Kingdom.

Unlike other members of that union, Wales has managed to retain a greater sense of national unity and identity, including in the preservation of their national language--they even sing about it in their national anthem.  Welsh is a difficult sounding language made up of many, many "f"s and "l"s, often serially, and with very few vowels.  It was, at least partially, the basis for the "Elvish" language in J.R.R.Tolkien's books.

St. David was a 6th century monk who is the patron saint of the Welsh and a symbol of Welsh nationalism.  On St. David's Day, everyone wears leaks and daffodils--the leek is the symbol of St. David and the daffodil (which in Welsh is, apparently, "Peter's Leek") is the national symbol of Wales.

Below is a video of the St. David's Day Parade from this year.  It was published on a website which I gather is for Americans of Welsh origin or vice versa.  It strikes me that there are a lot of kilts in this parade but I guess even the Scots like to celebrate the retention of a national identity.  About 50 seconds in, the bag-pipes start sounding really pretty.  I don't know if that is because it is a different song, because they were just warming up before, or because they later guys were just better but it is worth sticking it out (or skipping ahead) to hear the later stuff.

 

You are probably much more indebted to the Welsh than you ever realized before.  For one thing, they gave us Milton Jones.  And that is quite a lot.

You are probably more familiar with the Welsh, though, because of their music.  The Welsh are known for their really lovely music and for their a Capella men's choirs especially.  Welsh Colliery music was done by musical groups from different mining communities.  Welsh tunes tend to be in minor keys, really beautiful, and complicated.  They are probably the tunes for some of your favorite hymns, especially the older ones.

"Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah", for instance, is sung to Cwm Rhondda, a Welsh tune and I believe the words came from Wales as well.

"Throned Upon That Awful Tree", is sung to Afron, anther Welsh tune.

Other familiar songs with Welsh tunes include "Who is This, so Weak and Lowly" (try avoid looking at the Marvin pictures), "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise", "How Firm a Foundation", and "The Sands of Time are Sinking".  This link shows a list of old songs, including Psalms, set to Welsh tunes--if you click on the links and then click "stream" you can hear the guy singing all four parts of the songs.

And this is giant men's choir singing "I Hear Thy Welcome Voice" in the original Welsh (the tune is Gwahoddiad).


This isn't (as far as I know) a Welsh tune.  It is however, sung by 8,000 or so Welsh men at a giant concert and it is pretty impressive.  It was done in the early '90s which explains the outfits and the hair.



And here, just for your your cultural improvement and greater appreciation of Wales, part of Act 4, Scene 7, from Shakespeare's Henry V in which Henry V and one of his captains (Fluellen) discuss Welsh-ness, leeks, and St. David's Day.  (And the Wye is the river that runs along part of the border between Wales and England.)

FLUELLEN:                                                   . . . if your majesties is

remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a

garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their

Monmouth caps; which, your majesty know, to this

hour is an honourable badge of the service; and I do

believe your majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek

upon Saint Tavy's day.

KING HENRY V:                          I wear it for a memorable honour;

For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.

FLUELLEN:                          All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's

Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that:

God pless it and preserve it, as long as it pleases

his grace, and his majesty too!

KING HENRY V:                           Thanks, good my countryman.

FLUELLEN:                       By Jeshu, I am your majesty's countryman, I care not

who know it; I will confess it to all the 'orld: I

need not to be ashamed of your majesty, praised be

God, so long as your majesty is an honest man.

Now I am off to make some Potato and Leek Soup (which is delicious if you like potato soups) and I will leave you with the Welsh National Anthem, in Welsh, but with English subtitles, and a picture I took of some narcissi at the Holland Flowers Festival a few days ago, which somewhat resemble, and are probably related to, daffodils.

Meddu ar gwych (hwyr) Dydd Gwyl Dewi, pawb!

(That is how Google Translate says that you should say "Have a happy (late) St. David's Day, everyone!" in Welsh.  For the record though, sometimes Google Translate is not very accurate so don't try to say this to anyone--it might get you in trouble.)