Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant 2009!!!

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by JWBear

Leeks

Daffodils are also commonly worn.

I have some good friends from Wales. The son was clueless for most of his childhood as to why he had to wear a leek around his neck every St. David's day.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by bewitched

I have some good friends from Wales. The son was clueless for most of his childhood as to why he had to wear a leek around his neck every St. David's day.

For anyone who might also wonder why, here is a short essay on leeks in Welsh history.

[Chernabog]

Wow Michael Ball is wearing a lot of foundation these days!

[JWBear]

And here is the Wikipedia entry on St David.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Ok, I'd like to understand this stuff better.

St. David was an aesthetic. How do you celebrate an aesthetic? I think the only way to do so is to be an aesthetic yourself. How do you have an "aesthetic festival"? Would he want you to drink to his health, or eat a big meal, or buy favors from vendors?

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I just want to understand this.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Ok, I'd like to understand this stuff better.

St. David was an aesthetic. How do you celebrate an aesthetic? I think the only way to do so is to be an aesthetic yourself. How do you have an "aesthetic festival"? Would he want you to drink to his health, or eat a big meal, or buy favors from vendors?

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, I just want to understand this.

The holiday is to celebrate Welsh culture and identity. It really has very little to do with St David; in fact, about as much as St Patrick's Day has to do with St Patrick.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by JWBear

The holiday is to celebrate Welsh culture and identity. It really has very little to do with St David; in fact, about as much as St Patrick's Day has to do with St Patrick.

Cool, I'm sure it's a lot of fun. I just can't wrap my head around the use of the Saint's names to mark these festivals.

On Feb 13th, a Friday, we were closing up the library, and my (religious Christian) coworker made a point to wish everyone "a happy SAINT Valentines day", with plenty of pointed emphasis on the SAINT. Um, seriously, do you want us to celebrate the Saint? Are we supposed to go to church?

If I were a Saint with a holiday named after me that had anything to do with drinking, dancing, eating, shopping, having sex...I'd be pissed off.

Which leads to the question - is the church pissed off about these holidays? Do they try to stop them, or alter them? I'm really asking, I have no idea.

[bewitched]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Cool, I'm sure it's a lot of fun. I just can't wrap my head around the use of the Saint's names to mark these festivals...
Which leads to the question - is the church pissed off about these holidays? Do they try to stop them, or alter them? I'm really asking, I have no idea.

Saints' days were how the early church organized it's liturgical year (in the Middle Ages almost every day of the year celebrated a saint). Most very important Saints' "days" or festivals co-opted traditional pagan celebrations; for instance, St Valentine's day co-opted the Pagan holiday Lupercalia.

Historically, this is one of the reasons that Christianity was so successful (beyond the fact that Constantine converted and generally, where the Emperor goes, his subjects follow), they didn't force Christianity down Pagan's throats, instead they changed the names of their festivals and ceremonies but allowed the Pagans to otherwise continue their traditions (as long as they now called themselves-- publicly at least, Christians).

So, in answer to your question, the church may not like some aspects of the celebrations, but it was the church itself who embraced the celebrations and allowed the celebrations to go forward as they had centuries prior to Christianity.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Saints' days were how the early church organized it's liturgical year (in the Middle Ages almost every day of the year celebrated a saint). Most very important Saints' "days" or festivals co-opted traditional pagan celebrations; for instance, St Valentine's day co-opted the Pagan holiday Lupercalia.

Historically, this is one of the reasons that Christianity was so successful (beyond the fact that Constantine converted and generally, where the Emperor goes, his subjects follow), they didn't force Christianity down Pagan's throats, instead they changed the names of their festivals and ceremonies but allowed the Pagans to otherwise continue their traditions (as long as they now called themselves-- publicly at least, Christians).

So, in answer to your question, the church may not like some aspects of the celebrations, but it was the church itself who embraced the celebrations and allowed the celebrations to go forward as they had centuries prior to Christianity.

Don't forget the strangest melding of Christian and Pagan... Easter! A holiday that mixes the rebirth of a new male god with the fertility rites of an old female one. They even kept the Pagan goddess's name as a name for the holiday!

Also, many ancient Pagan dieties and heros were made "saints" by the early Christians - St Bridget and St George for example.

[Not Afraid]

Where's Rover?