Why I Love Being Welsh | Happy St David's Day
For those folk amongst you who are not Welsh, you might not know that today is St David's Day. We celebrate our patron saint on March 1st every year with an Eisteddford and dressing up when you're in school and scoffing welsh cakes if you're not.
If you're not Welsh, you probably don't know a lot about it, least of all why we celebrate being Welsh, and what it feels like. It's probably unsurprising that with a name like mine and from a family of Welsh ancestors through and through, I really quite like being Welsh.
Here's a coupla reasons why;
The countryside:
I don't think I'm bias when I say Wales is pretty beautiful. I mean sure, don't go to some of the towns if you're looking for picturesque but even the slate and coal mines are something in their own way. The drive between North & South Wales chucks up some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen in my life and the coastline is pretty spectacular too. My fav fav places have to include Bosherston Lily Ponds, Garreg Ddu Reservoir, Tenby, Llandudno and of course, the summit of Snowdon.
The language:
Granted, I haven't been able to speak it for a few years and I've totally lost my footing with it but it is still on my NYE Resolutions year on year and I'm making headway with my Duolingo app. The Welsh language is lovely, I'm sure only Welsh people can pronounce the double ll's and double dd's correctly, we don't have all the letters of the alphabet but have added a few extra, there are some really cute translations (and some really stupid ones too) and of course - we have cwtch. Cwtch is like a hug, but more than a hug, like a proper tight cuddle and the feeling you have when you're cwtching with someone you love dearly.
The food:
If you've never tried a homemade welshcake (particularly made by my Mum) then my love you are missing out. We also have bara brith, welsh rarebit, cawl, Glamorgan sausages, leek soup, cockles and lamb so if you're in for a new taste we've probably got you covered. Just pop a vase of freshly bloomed daffodils on the table as a centre piece and you're good to go.
The celebrations:
Like I said, St David's Day is pretty great when you're in school. We used to have a day off lessons and we would dress up in traditional Welsh costume and have a big fun assembly all day. We would have competitions from baking to art to crafts to handwriting and we'd all perform as individual classes or have a talent competition. We also have a whole host of festivals all the way through the year like the Urdd Eisteddford which is like the one on St David's Day but like major scale and the Hay Festival which is literary and held in gorge Hay on Wye.
The history:
Wales is full of history. Full of it. For a start, we have around 600 castles in this very very tiny piece of land from the teeny weeny ruins to the big stonking structures of Cardiff, Conwy and Caernarfon. We also have coastlines full of history, loads of which you can find on the Wales Coast Path and a whole life of mining, like you can see in Big Pit. If you don't know a lot about Wales this article is a really great read to start with.
The sport:
I think it'll come as no surprise that I'm a big rugby fan - if you've been reading the blog for a while or follow me on Insta stories you'll know it for sure. We are seriously into our rugby as a nation and there is nothing like the atmosphere in Cardiff on match day, or the way the home crowd comes alive when we're singing Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau before a big game. We also have a pretty lively football culture, like a bit of cricket and don't do too shabby at the Olympics either.
The feeling:
Maybe it's a celtic thing but I've only ever heard Scottish people describe what it feels like to be Scottish in the way Welsh people know what it feels like to be Welsh. I can't describe the feeling, the complete and utter patriotism, the pride in which I feel to be Welsh, to call this tiny beautiful little slice of Britain home. All I know is my soul nearly bursts out when I'm singing the anthem or cheering on my team or talking about my love for this place, and how I know there's nowhere else on this earth I'd want to live but here.
Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!
