Saint David's Day

I have been making greater efforts to become more knowledgeable about Saints that I am not very acquainted. One of those Saints feast day is this Tuesday, March 1st. Saint David of Wales is a very intriguing Saint because there are many stories that are told of Saint David, including one about a sea monster and him standing on the ground as a small hill formed beneath him to raise him above a crowd with a dove on his shoulder! There is even another story about Saint David blessing poison bread and consuming it without being hurt. Being a mom of two boys I think these stories will be big enough to catch their attention while we celebrate this amazing man but insanely enough, there are even more stories. He is the patron saint of doves, poets and Wales. There are also a number of symbols used to represent Saint David such as the leek and daffodils! I think it would be a great experience to be in Wales on Saint David's Day to be included in the festivals and activities that are held on March 1st in his honor. 

SO... Here are a few of my thoughts on this feast day because I can honestly think of a million different things we could do to make this fun and memorable for my family!

Activities: 

Write a poem!! Saint David is the patron saint of poets and was known for the way he prayed, studied and wrote during his life. 

Only drink water today... Saint David only drank water and was even nicknamed "The Waterman". and never drank wine or beer! 

Plant some flowers because daffodils are a symbol of Saint David and his country of Wales. He was also a great laborer and said "every man is his own ox"... this would be the perfect day to start you Resurrection gardens too! There are still 3 weeks left in Lent for them to grow into beautiful displays for Easter.

Depending on your child's maturity, you could discuss Corpse Candles. Personally, my boys are a little too young but I am intrigued and may do some additional research on this subject for my own knowledge. 

Food:

Anything made with leeks or a vegetarian meal with some bread would be a great way to honor Saint David. 

Potato Leek Soup 

Spinach and Leek White Bean Soup

Rosemary Tomato Leek Soup

Some options other than soup:

Quiche with Tomato, Kale and Leek

Baked rice with leeks and bok choy

Vegetable Pot Pie (Including Parsnips, carrots, sweet potato and leeks)

I love to scroll through recipes on Catholic Cuisine and AllRecipes.com... AND Remember to drink some water with dinner :)

Tradition:

Obviously I won't be traveling on March 1st to Saint David's Cathedral but it is on my list of religious places I want to visit before I leave this world for the next but it is said that visiting the Cathedral of St Davids in Pembrokeshire where his remains are buried have become a popular place of pilgrimage. It was also said that two pilgrimages to St David's is equalled to one pilgrimage to Rome and three equalled one to Jerusalem. I am not sure of the validity of this statement but if anyone has some insight, I would appreciate it!

Prayer:

There are some prayers that you can start 9 days prior to the Feast of Saint David. I wish I would have done research on this really amazing Saint earlier so I could have done a Novena. Like I said earlier, he is a Saint I didn't know much about prior to my research I started the past few days. As a side note...The website linked to the Novenas is a great resource for any prayer you may want to find.

Video/ Audio:


There is a short YouTube Video that gives a short animation portrayal of how Saint David became a Saint. I think my boys will enjoy it. 

There is also a neat site called Storynory that has an audio on Saint David of Wales.

I really have enjoyed learning about Saint David as his Feast Day approaches. If you have any other information on Saint David or customs/ traditions used to honor this Saint, please let me know! Saint David is a great example of how to complete Lenten Sacrifices and reading about his life has inspired me to make this Lenten Season the best that it can be!

I leave you with with Saint David's last words...

"Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do those little things that you have seen me do and heard about."