Wales is a country situated in the West of Britain. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. On the 1-st of March, St. David’s Day, patriotic Welsh people wear a leek or a daffodil, both symbols of Wales. The population of Wales is about three million. The area of Wales is 20,764 sq. km. Wales is agricultural; there are few cities there, rather small and unimportant. The west coast, mid Wales and North Wales are wild and beautiful. Wales has high mountains, including Mount Snowdon, the second highest mountain in Britain. Snowdon looks very peaceful and beautiful. Cardiff, the modern capital of Wales, has a Roman castle and a modern shopping centre. Cardiff is an industrial city, which also has a cathedral and a university. Every year, an international festival called Eisteddfod is held in the town of Llangollen. People come from all over the world to recite poetry, sing and dance in this colourful competition.
There are two national languages in Wales – the Welsh language, which is spoken widely, especially in the North of the country and English. Both these languages are taught in schools. There are also Welsh and british TV channels. Rugby is the national game of Wales. The rules of the game are quite difficult. A team consists of fifteen players. The game is played with an egg-shaped ball. There are three National Parks in Wales. These parks are protected by law because of their natural beauty, but some people live and work there. The flag of Wales, with its red dragon, is one of the oldest in the world. It was brought to Britain by the Romans. The Welsh call their country Cymru and themselves Cymry.
On March 1, the inhabitants of Wales and the Welsh around the world celebrate St. David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales.
Saint David is a real person. The son of the prince, the ruler of Powys, the grandson of the ruler of the peninsula, where is now the city of St. Davids and the Cathedral of St. David (Pembrokeshire). David himself was the founder and rector of this cathedral. There are many legends about David. For example, once Saint David during the sermon remarked that those, who are far from him, can not hear him. Then he put a handkerchief on the ground, stepped on it and continued his speech. At this very moment, the ground under his feet rose and David was over the parishioners. Now everyone could hear his words. David performed many miracles: he created sources in places, which have always been considered arid, healed people with water from salt springs, resurrected the dead. God and the angels appeared to him in visions. In one vision, he was told that he would leave the earthly life on March 1. From that moment he fulfilled his duties even more zealously than before. The prediction came true. He died on March 1, 601, and was buried in Pembrokeshire, in the very place where the cathedral is now. In the Middle Ages, Saint David was so revered that the pilgrims believed, that it is better to go twice to St. David, than once to Rome. About 50 churches in South Wales today are sanctified by his name. The day of the death of St. David, March 1 was celebrated in Wales until the XVI century (before the Reformation) as a religious holiday; from the XVIII century the day of St. David - the national holiday of Wales, and the saint himself personifies the Welsh people.