St David's Day: Worldwide celebrations

It’s the day of Wales’ Patron Saint, but St David’s Day is being celebrated all over the world. Look out for a party near you…

Pin on your daffodil and get the Welsh cakes in the oven – it’s St David’s Day today. For those across the border in the Big Country, “Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Sant hapus!” – but you don’t need to be in Wales to celebrate the day in style. Whether you’re in Colorado or Hong Kong, chances are there’ll a St David’s Day party near you…

1. Gaiman, Patagonia, Argentina

1 March: Patagonia’s largest Welsh settlement throws a noson lawen (party) with traditional dress, music, and folk dancing. Patagonia is famed for its gatherings of Welsh settlers’ descendents who pride themselves on their ancestry – see how the Patron Saint is celebrated on the other side of the Atlantic.

2. Hong Kong

1 March: It was under British rule for 156 years, and the colonial legacy appears to live on. Just a few weeks after the widespread celebrations of Chinese New Year, the St David’s Society presents its annual ball for the island’s resident Welsh population. Strictly dinner dress.

3. Chicago, USA

1 March: Swap windy (and wet and cold) Wales for the Windy City – where the Cambrian Benevolent Society of Chicago is hosting a St David’s Day dinner – with Welsh lamb, no doubt. Ok, so Chicago has been experiencing blizzards and snow storms, but the Welsh population is a hardy bunch, and you’ll be in good company – Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen, who hailed from Wales himself, was the city’s first president.

4. New York, USA

4 March: Celebrate the Big Country in the Big Apple – the St David’s Society of the State of New York holds it annual dinner dance – now in its 176th year – for society members and guests at Manhattan’s Yale Club. Catherine Zeta-Jones will be presented with the group’s highest accolade, the William R Hopkins medal, for overseas services for Wales.

5. Paris, France

5 March: Add a little savoir faire to your celebrations in Paris, where the Paris Welsh Society will be entertaining the Cymru contingent with dinner and music by Welsh harpist Glain Dafydd.

6. Colorado, USA

6 March: Deep in North America’s Mid West, there’s a celebration of all things Cymru – but with a twist. With music from the Welsh Society Choir, poetry and congregational hymn singing, the Colorado Welsh Society celebrates the Patron Saint in Denver – and there’s a ‘pot luck’ dinner afterwards.

7. USA

Throughout March: Welsh language newspaper Ninnau lists St Davis’s Day celebrations across North America. From roast lamb dinners in New York to cawl (stew) in Vancouver, there’s a Welsh-themed knees up in almost every state.

8. Australia

Throughout March: If you fancy swapping lava bread and real ale for barbecued shrimp and a cold stubby, the Welsh Australian website is well worth a look. Events are planned in Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle – and there are listings for Celtic festivals and Welsh Folk gatherings throughout the year.