St. David’s Day
March 1
The mark of a Welshman
The fierce battle had raged for hours. Swords clashed as the men of
Wales fought to protect their land from the Saxon invaders. But the
Welsh were losing.
A monk with the Welsh army thought he knew why. Both sides wore the same
kind of clothing. It was hard to tell a friend from an enemy.
But the monk had an idea. As the Welsh warriors began to retreat, he
called them together. \”Welshmen,” he cried, \”you must mark yourselves
so that you can quickly tell who is a Welshman and who is a Saxon.”
The monk reached down and pulled a leek plant from the ground. \”Let
each man wear a leek. Then you will know that any man who is not wearing
a leek is an enemy!”
Soon, all the Welsh soldiers were wearing leeks. Again they charged the
enemy. Before long, the Welsh won the battle. They had kept their
country free.
The monk who saved the day was named David. After his death, the
Catholic Church made him a saint. He became the patron saint of Wales.
And the day of his death, March 1, became St. David’s Day.
No one knows if the story of David and the leek is true. But the leek is
the national flower of Wales. And in Wales, St. David’s Day is a
holiday. On that day, Welsh people all over the world proudly wear the
stalk, a flower, or a bit of leaf from a leek plant.
