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March/Mawrth
The month of March is a very significant one in the Welsh calendar:-
"March 1st is Saint David's Day, the National Holiday of Wales, a day to celebrate for the Welsh and Americans of Welsh descent. In Wales, people celebrate Saint David's Day by attending church services, wearing leeks and daffodils (national symbols of Wales and St. David), holding parades and children's parties in the schools. Saint David, Dewi Sant in Welsh, lived in the 6th Century and is unique among British saints in that a surprising amount of information was recorded about his life. He was probably the son of Usai, the king of Ceredigion, and the daughter of a lord of what would later be called Pembrokeshire and was the student of another Welsh saint, Paulinus. Dewi Sant was renowned as a teacher who founded monastic settlements and churches in mostly pagan Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. Today, Saint David's Cathedral stands on the site of a monastery he founded in Glyn Rhosyn (Valley of Roses) in Pembrokeshire. The monastic rule of Dewi Sant taught humility, simplicity and asceticism and he practiced these himself: that monks ploughed, planted and tended their crops themselves, without draft animals; that they drank only water and ate only bread with salt and herbs and never meat or beer; that they spent their evenings in prayer, reading and writing; that no member of the monastery had any personal possessions, everything belonged to them all. Dewi Sant's last sermon was recorded as including the words, "Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about.... Do the little things in life," and this phrase, "Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd," ("Do the little things in life") is a phrase used today." In terms of American Welsh heritage March is also highly significant. James Madison the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817), and one of the Founding Fathers was born on March 16th 1751. He was of Welsh and Scottish ancestry. Another founding father, Francis Lewis was born on March 21st 1713 at Llandaff in Cardiff, the Capital city of Wales. Other significant events this month include the birth of John Cale, R.S. Thomas and Arthur Machen. John Cale is one of Wales most famous and respected musicians and R.S. Thomas was undoubtedly one of Wales' finest poets. Arthur Machen was an author of Gothic horror, supernatural and fantasy fiction much admired by Oscar Wilde, W. B. Yeats, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.P. Lovecraft and Jorge Luis Borges amongst others. March is also the month when Wales have twice recently concluded a victorious 'Six Nations' campaign, winning the 'Grand Slam' in both 2005 and 2008. The Welsh word for March is Mawrth. Anyone interested in learning the correct pronunciation ( or indeed in learning the Welsh language itself ) will find a multitude of excellent sites online to assist them with this. Some of these are listed on our homepage which can be found here. The
Easy Way to Learn Welsh History
If
you were born Welsh or are of Welsh descent then there is something to
celebrate ( or comemmorate ) every day of the
year. If you are looking to learn Welsh history one
day at a time or just looking for an excuse to raise a glass
and celebrate on any particular day this section is for you.
You will also find the birthdates of many famous Americans of Welsh
descent on these pages. Though these pages are intended as a
serious resource some of my co-contributors have a sense of
humor. Consequently there are a few 'joke' items spread amongst the
vast bulk of factual daily entries. We dont think you'll
have too much trouble spotting them.
We will also be including the dates of many Welsh and American Welsh festivals, sporting events etc. Bookmark the Calendar for your daily dose of Welsh history ( and occasional nonsense )! Join
'Americymru' - The Welsh American Heritage Society
Americymru.com
is the
public website of Americymru (pronounced - amerikumree) which is a
Welsh Heritage Society based in Portland, Oregon. This group is
primarily for Americans of Welsh
descent. If your name
is Jones, Evans, Williams or Price you probably qualify. A welcome is
extended to fellow celts of Irish or Scottish descent. We
also accept
members from anywhere in the U.S or Canada who are concerned
to
preserve their Welsh heritage. You may also join if you think that the
Draig Goch is cool. We aim to be as inclusive as possible.
We
feel that while there are
many excellent local Welsh Heritage societies ( indeed almost every
state has one ) there is a need for a society to promote
Wales and Welsh culture on the national stage. We hope that in time
this group will grow into a large and vibrant online
community.
This is a Google group so you will need a Gmail account in order to join. Gmail accounts can be registered here. Americymru can be found here. |