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Santes Dwynwen, St Dwynwen's Day is Wales' St Valentine’s Day, celebrated on 25th January and is the most romantic day in the Welsh calendar year. It is celebrated with the giving and receiving of cards and presents and by saying "I Love you" in Welsh, "Rwy'n dy garu di". Show your proud Welsh heritage and point of difference by celebrating St Dwynwen's Day as opposed to Valentines Day!!
In the Welsh village of Cwm Gwaun (the Gwaun valley), near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire in Wales, locals are keeping old traditions alive by celebrating the New Year, known as Hen Galan, 13 days after everyone else. Back in the 1700s, the people of Cwm Gwaun used the Julian calendar and still do. New Years Eve is on 13th January!!!
Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas and New Year celebrations in Wales, including, Plygain (Christmas Carols between 3am and 6am), Noson Gyflaith (Toffee making evening), Mari Lwyd (A Grey Mare), Wassail (Hot mulled cider), Calennig (Trick or Treat, Welsh style) and New Year’s celebrations in Cwm Gwaun on 13th January each year!
The Welsh Dragon is the heraldic symbol of Wales, and is, almost without doubt the country’s most recognisable symbol. The image is most notably seen on the flag of Wales. The flag, a proud and ancient battle standard of the Welsh consists of a red dragon, passant (which in heraldry terms indicates that the animal has its right foot raised), on a green and white background.
The story begins with Ceridwen, the mother of the Welsh 6th century Bard, Taliesin. According to the Mabinogion legends, the bard begins life as Gwion Bach, a servant boy on the shores of Bala Lake, where the giant Tegid Foel and his witch wife Ceridwen live. Tegid and Ceridwen have two children, a beautiful daughter, Crearwy, and Morfran, their stupid, ugly son.
Beddgelert means Gelert's Grave in English and the pretty Snowdonia town is the centre of the legend and tragedy of Gelert the faithful dog and the location of the grave of Gelert. Its resident population is less than 500 at the time of the last Census in 2011. It is often described as the prettiest town in Snowdonia and the town, Gelert's grave and the surrounding area are major tourist attractions.
Cilmeri is a small village in Powys, mid-Wales but is of great historical importance to Wales. It is also a sad place, for it was there on 11th December 1282 that the last Welsh-born Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd died. Llywelyn was killed in the battle of Irfon Bridge in a minor skirmish with the soldiers of England’s King Edward I. This date is commemorated in Wales with increased popularity
Born on 27th October 1914 Dylan was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems, Do not go gentle into that good night, And death shall have no dominion, and Under Milk Wood. Thomas left school to be a junior newspaper reporter and in 1932 he concentrated on his poetry full-time. He became popular in his lifetime and remained so after his death at 39 in New York City.
Aberfan is a former coal mining village near to Merthyr Tydfil. The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a coal tip that engulfed Aberfan and its school. It occurred at 9.13am, 21st October 1966 – the stopped clock image encapsulates that moment in time. No survivors were found after 11.00am that day. 116 children and 28 adults died. Aberfan – remembered and never forgotten...
Owain Glyndŵr Day, 16th September, commemorates the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. Today, he is a figure of mass culture in Wales, with statues, flags and monuments alongside pubs and street names remembering him. He is possibly one of the greatest Welshmen of all time if not the greatest. His name is still remembered and revered today.
Calon Lân is a Welsh language song written in the early 1890s. Daniel James, also known by his bardic name of Gwyrosydd, wrote the lyrics and John Hughes the tune. Although both Daniel and John both lived in Swansea, it was in Blaengarw that Daniel wrote the famous words allegedly on the back of a 'fag' packet. Although Calon Lân has been translated into English, it is almost always sung in Welsh.
