Saint David’s Day is an important date in the Welsh calendar. Among the events and television programmes, thousands will wear the national costume. Mantle-pieces and tops of televisions sets across Wales show old faded pictures of smiling young girls (not so young anymore) in the traditional Welsh costume.
The traditional costume in Wales is worn mostly by young girls and almost exclusively on Saint David’s Day. However, his not true of all countries which elevate their national costume. The national day of the Faroe Islands is St Olav’s Day when people of all ages, both men and women, wear their traditional costume. The Bretons are very proud of their costume and rather than one national costume they will wear original costumes from their local ‘bro’ or locality. Countries across Eastern Europe are very fond of their costumes and place great worth on them. These ‘peasant democracies’ as they were called by the London press between the two World Wars, wished to give their language and culture the status they lacked as historic states.
The interest in traditional costumes goes hand in hand with the rise of capitalism. The irony of global capitalism seems that a philosophy which aims to give the individual as much choice as possible had lead to the whole world wearing the same clothes!
But back to Wales. The Welsh costume is popularly associated with Augusta Hall, the Lady Llanover (also know by her Welsh bardic name, Gwenynen Gwent, the Bee of Gwent). Augusta is credited with either inventing or at least redefining Welsh costume. Sketches of the costumes are at the National Library and some can be seen on the ‘Celtic Voices’ online exhibition (which is in Welsh, English and French).
So, a happy and colourful Saint David’s Day and enjoy the costume as well as the ‘cawl’!