Saint David is the patron Saint of Wales, Saint Davids day or the feast of Saint David, falls on the 1st of march each year. Saint David died in 589AD but wasn't officially made a Saint untill the 12th century.
Daffodils and leeks are the popular symbols, girls (young ones) tend to dress in tradition Welsh costume and boys (young ones) favor coal miners or rugby player costume.
As a former press photographer Saint Davids day tended to be looked at with dread. The norm back then was to go around the various schools and photograph the chilrdens classes dressed in their costumes. This is huge fun if you love young children dressed in silly costumes all having a fun day, sadly most photographers (like me hated it).
You see the children see it at a day off school work, while for us photographers it's a ton of work, we have to go to the school, wait around while the teachers get the children out, then we have to set up usually around 30 children in a group. Trouble is the children want to play, not line up, the teachers are a waste of space (usually) and time is tight for us.
Back then I was working on film, we had to develop our own films in a darkroom, and print and caption out own prints all by hand (and dry them) it got to the point I was using X-ray film developer to save time as it developed a roll of film in I think 45 seconds. That sounds quick but you have to load the film on a spiral, develop it, fix it again with X-ray filer (say a minute) wash it and dry the film before printing, and theres no X-ray cheat with the prints (the normal developer/fixer could take say 5 minutes each so a fair saving on time) Plus i'd be shooting a few rools of film at each school, and you had to know each class and school for the captons.
My records for one Saint Davids day was 27 schools, thats every class in 27 schools spread over 3 or 4 towns in different valleys during the school hours. Trust me it's not fun! It works out to probably a minute a class without traveling time. I was like a Waffen SS comandant, "Rouse Rouse!!" I'd be shouting... well ok it wasn't actually rouse (german for hurrymake or quick) but I'd be like a demented idiot rushing to line them up and go to the next school. Little suzi missing?, tough shit, don't have time to wait. Click click. follwed by tyres screeching.
Dont get me wrong I like children... in much the same way Adolf Hitler liked smokers, gypsies and Jews. Well I like my own children to be honest, others... no.
So here are todays Saint Davids pics, no children (thank fuck) I went for simple and easy daffodils.
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