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I grew up in what is now Monmouthshire and we always celebrated properly in both primary and secondary school. In fact we had a great Eisteddfod in our secondary school that all the houses took months to plan and practice for. The day itself was great! Still some of my best memories of the place.

Enjoy the day! My parents gave my ds a little Welsh costume from Sainsburys so I think he may be "the only boy in the village" in one in the New Forest this St David's Day!!!

Gaelic - oh bless you, sounds like you need a bit of guidance. I reckon you can get a felt leek on any old supermarket this time of year.

In this context, an eisteddfod is just a special assembly, with singing and poems and stuff
< wait to you get a load of the proper eisteddfod in the summer with all the Druids and bards and shit - that'll pickle your cockle alright!>

Hmm I'm feeling bad for DS now. I know when in Rome etc but I've no time to prepare! I thought it was just a thing they do to satisfy the curriculum. I guess I'll have to be better prepared next year if we haven't run away back north. Thanks for filling me in!

And sorry for getting my dd in the wrong place!

I didn't realise how little I knew about Wales until we ended up here!

It was boys dressed as miners, when I was bach and every boy trying to eat their leek (the bigger the better) in the quickest time durning the morning.

When is it?

St David's day is the 1st March.

Can you try local charity shops. I am currently living in Wales and have noticed that even the local charity shops have Welsh themed windows with the girls costumes in and one has a sign on the door saying St Davids Day Costumes inside.

You may be able to pick up something there. If not a daffodil on his school jumper would be better than nothing.

See this is what I meant to begin with about whether its real. I've seen nothing to do with St Davids Day - not noticed anyway - and I can't get to the shops now before Friday. What a pain. Anyhow I'm sure we'll manage something. Thanks.

We're sorted. He's going as Doctor Who.

I grew up in Nth Wales and there was barely any acknowledgement of the day in our town.
However, since I've left it has become very Welsh and now has signs in Welsh and English in the supermarkets I notice.
So maybe they do make more of it now?

Unusual, but I like it Gaelic!

Well so much for my laissez faire 'stick a leek on him' attitude - just been informed that the head likes to see the boys in the full Welsh waistcoat get-up! I swear I saw not one boy in this when I was a kid!

Just moved to Monmouthshire myself. MIL has brought round a welsh girls costume for DD, aged 2, despite me telling her that we aren't doing anything for St David's Day. Is that normal? Seems a bit weird to me but then I grew up in Scotland and Somerset. Not sure I see the point of dressing her up personally.

Yup very much real. Girls in full costume with a daffodil stuck on them boys in red with a leek stuck on them. When I were a lass.

TomDaleysTrunks. If she's staying at home with you then no not compulsory. But if she's going to preschool she may be the only on not dressed up. Besides she'll look super super cute in one.

What's the point in celebrating anything, come to that?

Ah, just heard from DH. Seems we're going conventional - he's managed to acquire a Welsh rugby shirt, so at least that will be useful. A rugby shirt and 2 leeks is the "normal" getup apparently.

2 leeks??

The girls all dressed up when I was little but can't remember any of the boys doing anything apart from pinning a leek or a daff to their uniforms. The girls dressed up in DD1's school last year (for shame, mine was the only one not wearing a 'traditional' hat - but she was wearing the rest my 40-year-old costume) and the boys were mostly in rugby jumpers. I'm going to try and get her a hat in town tomorrow. gaelic - I think a strategically placed daff will be fine . Shame they don't still get half-day like we used to.

I do wonder if he was being taken for a ride about the 2 leeks. Think I might use them for soup...

At DD's primary school they all dressed up, boys and girls, and went and did Welsh FOlk Dancing through the village. THe old folks bloody loved it (and so did DD!). THeir Eisteddfod was far from a special assembly, though - fiercely competitive! They don't do the dressing up at Secondary, but the EIsteddfod is even bigger and incorporates all the traditions of the 'real' one.
As for traditional music, you have to know where to go - there are pubs where you can hear it.

Oh maybe there will be something on. Sounds interesting, I'm off to investigate!

It is definitely real.

As for hearing the music etc, it probably depends where in Wales you are. I'm in mid Wales and we have a village Eisteddfod (as well as the school one), village choir, cawl a chan, plygain, calennig etc.

DS2 is already excited as he will be playing the trumpet fanfare at the start of the chairing ceremony at the village Eisteddfod in April

Oooo Jemima! That will be a proud moment. I bloody love a good CHairing Ceremony, I do!

Our school did the who lot for St Davids when I was in school late 60's and through the 70's, small village, in the North, songs, poetry and a parade of kids all dressed up, boys wearing leeks and daffodils, flags and everything.
A rugby shirt and a couple of leeks is all any small boy needs [grins]

South Wales primary in the 70's for me. Girls in welsh lady costume and boys dressed as miners. Coal was rubbed over their faces to get the look right.