St David's Day quiz

All 15 questions

1. 1. On which date is St David's Day, the day of Wales's patron saint?

   1. 17 March
   2. 1 March
   3. 23 April
   4. 30 November
   Show answer

   B. 1 March

   National Museum Wales says St David's Day is held every year on 1 March. In Welsh it is Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant.

   Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

2. 2. Which of these is NOT on the official list of England and Wales bank holidays for 2027?

   1. Easter Monday (29 March)
   2. Early May bank holiday (3 May)
   3. St David's Day (1 March)
   4. Summer bank holiday (30 August)
   Show answer

   C. St David's Day (1 March)

   The GOV.UK list for England and Wales in 2027 has eight days, from New Year's Day to the Boxing Day substitute, and 1 March is not among them. St David's Day is not a bank holiday in Wales.

   Source: https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays

3. 3. On what day of the week is St David's Day in 2027?

   1. Monday
   2. Tuesday
   3. Thursday
   4. Saturday
   Show answer

   A. Monday

   1 March 2027 is a Monday (a plain calendar calculation). It is a normal working day: the official 2027 bank holiday list has no entry for it.

   Source: https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays

4. 4. Who wrote the main early account of St David's life, towards the end of the 11th century?

   1. Gerald of Wales
   2. Geoffrey of Monmouth
   3. Bede
   4. Rhigyfarch
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   D. Rhigyfarch

   National Museum Wales says little is known for certain about David and that his Life was written by Rhigyfarch towards the end of the 11th century. It adds that the Life may have been written to defend the bishopric of St Davids.

   Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

5. 5. According to legend, why did Welsh soldiers wear leeks in a sixth-century battle against the Saxons?

   1. The leeks were rations for the march
   2. St David ordered them to wear leeks on their helmets
   3. A king chose the leek as his badge
   4. They were a charm against the plague
   Show answer

   B. St David ordered them to wear leeks on their helmets

   The museum tells the legend that St David ordered his soldiers to wear leeks on their helmets in a sixth-century battle against the Saxons. It is a legend, not a documented event.

   Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

6. 6. When was the daffodil introduced as a national emblem of Wales, as a replacement for the leek?

   1. In the 6th century
   2. In the 14th century
   3. In the 19th century
   4. In 1999
   Show answer

   C. In the 19th century

   Wales.com says the daffodil was introduced during the 19th century as a replacement for the humble leek, and that its spring bloom coincides neatly with 1 March. It also says its origins are unclear.

   Source: https://www.wales.com/about/history-and-heritage/welsh-traditions-myths-and-legends/celebrate-st-davids-day

7. 7. Which Welsh-born prime minister wore the daffodil and used it at the 1911 investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon?

   1. David Lloyd George
   2. Aneurin Bevan
   3. Winston Churchill
   4. Harold Wilson
   Show answer

   A. David Lloyd George

   National Museum Wales names David Lloyd George, who wore a daffodil on St David's Day and used it in the 1911 investiture ceremonies at Caernarfon.

   Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

8. 8. What does the Flag of St David look like?

   1. A red dragon on green and white
   2. A white cross on blue
   3. A black cross on yellow
   4. A yellow cross on a black background
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   D. A yellow cross on a black background

   National Museum Wales captions the Flag of St David as a yellow cross on a black background. The red dragon on green and white is the national flag of Wales.

   Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

9. 9. St Davids in Pembrokeshire is famous for being what?

   1. The oldest city in Wales
   2. The UK's smallest city
   3. The capital of Wales
   4. The biggest port in Wales
   Show answer

   B. The UK's smallest city

   Wales.com says St Davids in Pembrokeshire is the UK's smallest city, with a population of 1,840. It is named after the patron saint, who it says was born and buried there.

   Source: https://www.wales.com/about/cities-and-regions/welsh-cities

10. 10. What do the Welsh words "gwnewch y pethau bychain", St David's guiding words, mean?

    1. Do the little things
    2. Love your neighbour
    3. Fear no storm
    4. Plant a leek
    Show answer

    A. Do the little things

    Wales.com gives St David's guiding words as "gwnewch y pethau bychain", meaning "do the little things", and builds its St David's Day campaign around small random acts.

    Source: https://www.wales.com/about/history-and-heritage/welsh-traditions-myths-and-legends/celebrate-st-davids-day

11. 11. The oldest chronicles disagree on the year St David died. Which two years does St Davids Cathedral give?

    1. 500 or 520
    2. 540 or 560
    3. 612 or 650
    4. 589 or 601
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    D. 589 or 601

    The cathedral says he died on 1 March in either 589 or 601, because the oldest chronicles disagree. By tradition his last words to his followers were "Be joyful, keep the faith, do the little things you have seen me do."

    Source: https://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/discover/history/st-david

12. 12. Which dish does Wales.com call the national dish of Wales?

    1. Laverbread
    2. Cawl
    3. Bara brith
    4. Welsh rarebit
    Show answer

    B. Cawl

    Wales.com describes cawl as a hearty stew of lamb and seasonal vegetables that is considered to be the national dish of Wales, known as "lobscows" in parts of North Wales.

    Source: https://www.wales.com/visit/food-and-drink/essential-welsh-eats

13. 13. Welsh cakes are known in Welsh as "picau ar y maen". What does that mean?

    1. Cakes for the feast
    2. Cakes of the valley
    3. Cakes on the stone
    4. Cakes with leeks
    Show answer

    C. Cakes on the stone

    Wales.com says Welsh cakes, "picau ar y maen" or "cakes on the stone", were originally cooked on a heated bakestone. Another Wales.com page describes them as small, circular cakes dusted in sugar.

    Source: https://www.wales.com/about/history-and-heritage/welsh-traditions-myths-and-legends/celebrate-st-davids-day

14. 14. In the Middle Ages, how many pilgrimages to St Davids were said to equal one pilgrimage to Rome?

    1. Two
    2. One
    3. Five
    4. Ten
    Show answer

    A. Two

    St Davids Cathedral says a papal privilege made two pilgrimages to St Davids equal to one to Rome, and three as significant as one to Jerusalem.

    Source: https://www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/discover/history/medieval-cult

15. 15. According to the story in St David's Life, what happened at the Synod of Llanddewibrefi?

    1. The sea parted for him
    2. The ground rose beneath him so all could hear him
    3. A dove landed on his shoulder
    4. A spring appeared under his feet
    Show answer

    B. The ground rose beneath him so all could hear him

    The museum recounts the legend that the ground rose beneath David so that everyone could see and hear him, and adds that how much truth is in the account is hard to tell.

    Source: https://museum.wales/blog/1183/St-Davids-Day-in-Wales-History-Traditions-and-Symbols/

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