Today, people in Wales celebrate the life of their patron saint, St David and the Welsh culture. Many people pin a daffodil or leek to their clothes and some, especially children, wear traditional costumes.
Only one of Magenta’s staff members was born in Wales, our Administrator, Valerie, however, all of the team have chosen to make Wales their home, embracing its proud heritage and culture (and all its quirks!.)
We thought today we would share 20 facts about Magenta’s beloved home!
- Wales has more castles per square mile than any other European country, with Caerphilly being the largest in Wales and the second largest in Europe behind Windsor. Unfortunately, many were built as a way of controlling the Welsh people.
- Welshman, Pryce Jones from Newtown Montgomeryshire, created the world’s first Mail Order business.
- The corgi dog (the Queen’s favourite!) originates from Wales; it means dwarf-dog or cor-ci.
- Felinfoel Brewery in South Wales, the oldest in Wales, was the first outside the US to sell beer in cans starting in 1931.
- The letters K, Q, V and Z do not appear in the Welsh alphabet.
- Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch is the name of a town in North Wales which translates as “The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave”. It is believed to be the longest place name in the world.
- Blackadder III said of Wales, “You need half a pint of phlegm in your throat just to pronounce the place names.”
- The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has the largest retractable roof of any sports arena in the world.
- Joseph ‘Job’ Daniels from Aberystwyth, West Wales, emigrated to the US in the 18th His grandson Jack went on to create the world renowned Jack Daniels whiskey – you’re welcome!
- Al Capone’s accountant Llewelyn Humphreys, aka Murray the Hump, came from a Powys family and at one point was America’s most wanted man. He took control of the mob after Capone’s incarceration.
- Rugby is the national sport of Wales. The first international game took place in 1881 between Wales and England. Throughout 1907 and 1910, the Welsh were undefeated.
- The British royal family use Welsh gold for wedding rings. This tradition was continued in the royal wedding of 2011 by the Duke, (the future Prince of Wales,) and Duchess of Cambridge.
- The Welsh flag of red, green and white was officially recognised from 1959. The dragon allegedly came from an Arthurian legend which told of wizard Merlin’s vision of a red dragon fighting a white dragon. This purportedly represented the battle between the native Britons (red) and Saxon invaders (white). The red dragon won and the green and white refer to the colours of the House of Tudor.
- St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was actually Welsh! A resident of Banwen in the Dulais Valley, he was apparently taken to Ireland by Irish slavers.
- For St David’s Day 2014, residents in Bala, North Wales, cooked the world’s largest Welsh cake. The fruity griddled flat-bread measured an astonishing 5ft (1.5m) wide and weighed 48lbs (21.7kg)! After that mammoth creation, it would have been rude to waste, so it was subsequently cut into 200+ pieces.
- In 1997, the Welsh voted for the creation of the National Assembly for Wales. For the first time in 40 years, Wales was recognised legally as a distinct constitutional entity within the UK. In 2006, following this vote and the passing of the Government of Wales act, the Senedd was created, the home of the National Assembly.
- The Welsh love-spoon is an iconic symbol across the world, originally carved by men to their respective lover’s family as a sign he was capable and skilled with his hands. Each symbol is representative of something, from the knot representing love, to the twist meaning the couple’s bond.
- Roald Dahl, the world famous children’s author of so many tales including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matildaand The BFG, was born in Cardiff in 1916.
- Wales has a population of approximately three million people.
- The population of sheep in Wales is four times greater than the Welsh population of humans!
Wishing everyone a very happy St David’s Day!