St David's Day

Today's the day ........................... to be proud that you're Welsh

Just in case you've forgotten - today is March 1st - a special day for all Welshmen and women, because it is St David's Day. And proudly sported every St. David's Day and at every international rugby match, the leek is now widely recognised as the national symbol of Wales.

Now it may well seem an odd thing to do to attach this strong smelling member of the onion family to your clothing - but the history of the welsh leek can be traced way back into the mists of time, to an age before Christianity - to the Druids - the Priests, Doctors, Poets and Minstrels of ancient Celtia.

It is in such times that the leek's reputation as a medicine to cure a variety of illnesses would have been most appreciated and perhaps even revered. It was highly regarded as a cure for the common cold, alleviating the pains of childbirth and was a tasty, healthy ingredient in cawl, the traditional Welsh broth. It could seemingly offer protection against wounds in battle or against being struck by lightning, and was also a means of foretelling the future and for keeping away evil spirits It is also claimed that by placing a leek under a pillow at night, young maidens could see the features of their future husbands.

Happy St David's Day ....................................!