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St David's Day celebrations in Wales and beyond
Prince Charles was in Carmarthenshire with the Chinese Ambassador to the UK
Prince Charles visited Carmarthenshire to mark St David's Day, as events take place at home and across the world.
Parades were staged in Cardiff and Wrexham as part of celebrations.
And St David's Day is also being marked in places as far afield as China and New York.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Wales has given a sermon, urging people in Wales to keep "our identity" without being "narrowly nationalistic".
The Welsh dragon is flying above Downing Street, while Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan is due to read at the annual St David's Day chapel service at the House of Commons.
Prince Charles visited Llandovery College, to attend an eisteddfod.
He met former Llandovery head boy and 2007 X Factor contestant Rhydian Roberts, who sang at the event.
The prince praised the performances he had seen, adding: "But I feel embarrassed because I think unless you sing or you dance you feel pointless standing up here.
"I knew I should have taken those lessons from Cheryl Cole, tango dancing," he joked.
The prince also met local businesses affiliated to the Cambrian Mountains Initiative which promotes rural enterprise.
There will be St David's Day events in cities across the United States, as part of Wales Week.
Prince Charles toasts St David's Day with Cwrw Calon Cymru (Heart of Wales) beer in Llandovery
St David's Day is also being celebrated in Monaco where Dame Shirley Bassey is guest of honour at a lunch hosted by the Monaco Wales Association and attended by Prince Albert of Monaco.
The association was founded by Mark Thomas, son of former Welsh rugby captain Clem Thomas.
Later this week in New York, Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones - last week awarded the CBE at Buckingham Palace - will be honoured for promoting Wales around the world.
The award is being presented by the St David's Society of the State of New York at its annual dinner on 4 March.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton sent over her best wishes to the "people of Wales".
"On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Wales as you celebrate St David's Day," she said.
"The United States is enriched by years of influence from Welsh-Americans."
Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan appealed for a celebration of national identity, without being "aggressive to outsiders" in a sermon at the chapel of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter.
"The challenge we face, as a nation, is keeping our identity and rejoicing in it without at the same time becoming narrowly nationalistic, xenophobic even, exclusive," he said.
"Nor is this a problem just for Wales. You only have to read the correspondence columns of the daily papers to see the extreme views that people have about asylum seekers.
"That debate is about race and nationality but of course we all like boundaries and perhaps we all need boundaries because boundaries give us a sense of security. They help to define who we are - family and non-family, Welsh and non-Welsh."
The Commons Speaker John Bercow receives daffodils from the London Welsh School
Welsh monument society Cadw is offering free admission to all its castles and other historic buildings.
First Minister Carwyn Jones, in his St David's Day message, said Wales would continue to build on its history and heritage to attract visitors.
Exchanges"These have been difficult times for the economy and Wales has taken its share of knocks but I have no doubt that this is a country with a great future," he said.
Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan was welcoming a group of children as part of an annual outing by cancer charity Latch, as well as being presented with daffodils for the Wales Office.
"As a child we always dressed up in traditional costume and for many children, today is an opportunity to do just that," said Mrs Gillan.
In Cardiff, Wales coach Gary Speed will take part in a public parade leaving City Hall at 1230 GMT, before finishing in front of St David's Hall at 1300GMT where there will be music and entertainment.
About 600 school children will march around Colwyn Bay from 1000 GMT before meeting at St Paul's Church for a concert.
And in Wrexham a parade starts at Eagles Meadow at 1330 GMT before arriving at Llywn Isaf, near the Guildhall, for the national anthem before 1400 GMT.
Outside Wales a number of events are being planned.
In London, people will be invited to sample award-winning Welsh food and drink at stalls at Marble Arch and Oxford Street.
In China, Wales Week in Chongqing runs until 6 March highlighting exchanges covering industry and education.
And in the United States, an exhibition by Llanidloes-born photographer Cambridge Jones opens at the Los Angeles Public Art Gallery on Wednesday, featuring photos of Welsh celebrities such as Katherine Jenkins, Bryn Terfel, Ioan Gruffudd and Michael Sheen.
My daughter, Branwen and son, Berwyn and I will make Welsh cakes (cacennau Cri) and then take them into our school here - Hyundai Foreign School to share with my colleagues and their friends where they attend Reception and Kindergarten. They will wear daffodils and tell the class about St. David's day. We will then dress in our traditional costumes in May during international week where all the children share their cultural heritage.
On February 25th I attended the Dubai Welsh Society's 2011 St David's Day Ball. Over 300 people attended and all proceeds will go to charities in both Dubai and Wales. The theme for the evening was Groggs, where images of Groggs were displayed around the room and auctioned off at the end of the evening to raise more money for charity. Tonight I will be making Welsh cakes to take in to the staffroom of the Dubai English Speaking School, where I work. Tomorrow I will wear my daffodil with pride.
The London Welsh Centre has used 2011 daffodils to make a St David's Day flag of flowers. The flag of St David is covered with daffodils and the daffodils continue beyond the flag onto the street. Quite a sight!
I will be celebrating at work in Frankston, Australia! I proudly have a poster up on my wall with: To be born Welsh, is to be born priviledged, not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but music in your blood and poetry in your soul (by Brian Harris) Sending lots of love to all my friends and relatives back at Wales and particularly the Llyn Peninsula!
I'm from Northop Hall Nr Mold Flintshire and its my birthday on St David's Day so I will be celebrating the day at a hotel on the west coast of Barbados. Cymru am byth.
A Welsh Heritage Sunday service was held at Poultney Welsh Presbyterian Church and other clergy in the valley houses of worship also included Welsh hymns in their Sunday worship services. 37 society members and friends gathered for dinner in celebration of St. David's Day in Granville, New York. Dinner was followed by Welsh music selections performed by Natalia Czar, harpist and vocalist. Due to what now feels like excessive snow this winter even for our area, everyone felt it was a good turn out for this year's event
Greetings from Stockholm, the Venice of the North (pole) ;) well since there are no welsh pubs here, i might just pop into the local irish Pub (The liffey) to celebrate a quickone, think it would be rude not to. Happy St Davids day all.
Our children dressed up in their Welsh national costumes and we hung the Welsh flag on our veranda. We usually make Welsh cakes but this year we tried Brecon light cakes instead. We read a book about St David in school and had some fun puzzles about Wales and colouring pages of daffodils, leeks and dragons. Our 8 year old son had learnt the national anthem and sang it to our co-workers and one of our village friends.
I confused a Dutch flower seller in the middle of Utrecht by asking for a single daffodil. When I explained what it was for I got it free!
Feeling pretty homesick here in England right now. My children will not be coerced into wearing vegetables or flowers to school and I am sad that they will miss the fun of school eisteddfodau. But I'm wearing my daffodil with pride. Happy St David's Day to expats around the world. We never forget.
The day when people reject all forms of nationalism will be truly a day to rejoice. So today in honour of St David's day I will be quoting Dylan Thomas on Wales: 'land of my father, well my fathers can keep it' and of course restating my opposition to nationalism.
The challenge is to celebrate Wales and St David's values every day of the year not just on March 1st!
I am half Welsh from my late mother. To keep my mother's tradition alive with my children I gave them each a flag of Wales and a copy of the movie How Green is my Valley last year. We exchanged cards on March 1st and each tries to make leek soup with varying results. This year we are also trying to memorise a couple of versus of Thomas' "Do not go gentle in the good night".
Happy St David's Day to all. I don't know if there is a Welsh society here but it is freezing and white skied just like home.
The daffodils are buried in deep snow and stores haven't even thought about the flower. However, I have been busy notifying and reminding our provincial radio stations of our SPECIAL day with some results. I have Welsh Cakes and Bara Brith ready to go and leek soup for us all to enjoy. My inbox was full of greetings on St David's Day and that was wonderful. Happy Saint David's Day to all who are Welsh. Hwyl!
Penderyn, a Welsh whisky company, is turning London's biggest Irish pub Welsh for the day to make up for the shortage of Welsh pubs!
Greetings and best wishes on St. David's Day to all the folks in the homeland from a little bit of Wales here in snowy Minnesota!
Aside from being one of the many expats slumming it in London, special mention should be made to Dave Parry who runs the extraordinarily successful Chicago Tafia promoting Welsh culture and life in Chicago. Aside from the many St David's Day parties thrown across the city, Dave has for many years also worked with the city council to ensure that the world famous Wrigley's building in the city centre is lit up in red, green and white to celebrate.
Leek soup made and eaten, welshcakes made and eaten (not all). Daffodils blooming in the sunshine in the garden. Hooray for Wales in the Spring.
My local The Bullbog Pub will be serving leek soup in honor of St David and as one of the few Welsh in the area I will be proudly wearing a dragon and sporting a daff.
My wife, Patricia, has been teaching the primary school children in the local Irish school at Blessington about St David's Day and a little bit of Welsh - "Ty Bach, Os gwelwch yn dda!"
Tonight the drama group I'm in will be putting on two comedies in Llancaiach Fawr, Nelson. The plays are by two Welsh playwrights. Last year we did Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas which was a great success. Our drama group has travelled all over the world promoting Wales to everyone we meet. We sing Welsh songs and showtunes and get others to join in. A few years ago we were in Mobile, Alabama where the locals welcomed us and completely embraced us. We may be an amateur drama group but certainly all we can to promote Wales where ever we go.
I will be celebrating in work, wearing a welsh rugby shirt and accompanied by my favorite stuffed welsh dragon. It is also my birthday so cause for double celebration.
Braved the snow and wind chill this morning to change the Flag on the pole in the farm yard. The Welsh Dragon is now proudly flying in the crisp air here in Canada because at the end of the day Wales will always be 'Home'. The Welsh Flag is up at the office too here in Montreal. Happy St David's Day to the Welsh all over the world.
Wearing my Leek with pride on an almost spring like day in Pontypridd. Very dissapointed by the lack of Leeks and Daffodils being worn in Pontypridd Town Centre. However I brightened up when I looked through a photographer's window and saw two baby boys having their photo taken in their welsh rugby kit. The adults and children were certainly enjoying themselves with plenty of ooos and ahhhhs from passers-by - me included.
Happy St Davids Day to everyone, wherever you may be! I will celebrate later with a toast although I must admit I'm missing the Welsh cakes.
Flying the flag off my balcony here in Zurich. wish we had a Welsh pub in the city!
I will be celebrating with members of the Tampa Bay Brits expat society at The Moon Underwater, a pub in downtown St. Petersburg owned by a Welsh couple. On Sunday the local St. David's Society of the Suncoast held their annual banquet with harpist in attendance and Bryn Yem entertained in nearby Sarasota
Pob hwyl i bawb yng Nghymru ar ddydd Gwyl Dewi. I have made welsh cakes today and will be sharing them with my Galician friends! Hwyl!
Greetings from South Florida. As a teenager I well remember taking the train to Wales to attend rugby internationals at Cardiff Arms Park with my father and uncle and feeling VERY Welsh once I crossed the Usk, one of the muddier rivers in the UK.. Have a great day..
We've escaped the UK and are enjoying a bit of very non-Welsh sunshine on the Costa del Sol, but I'll be making Welsh cakes later and trying to track down any other Taffia in the bars this evening! Love to all the diaspora, wherever you may be...
Hung my Welsh flag out first thing this morning,looks good amongst the daffodils. Have a great day.
Every St davids Day, no matter where in the world we are we ensure the "Dragon" is flying for all to see.
My granddaughter, Katie, and I just made a batch of Welsh cakes this morning...now we're off to her kindergarten school with some daffodils and some of the cakes for her class! I have some daffs in an old jug I bought about 45 years ago at Llandogo so even though I'm not in Wales I'm celebrating with my grandkids Katie and David!
My wife Karen and I met in Wales. We will be celebrating with our daughter Gwendolyn, by having Shephards pie and lovely welsh cakes for dinner tonight.
Here at Goldsboro High School I have been talking about Wales and St. David with various groups of students since 8:15 this morning. Each session has ended with some leek soup.
I was born In llanelli. I rememember at school on St Davids Day all the children wearing leeks. The smell lasted for days.After school I would go to my grandparents house for warm home made Welsh Cakes with jam. Happy Times!
Hi from sunny San Francisco. Some time ago, a friend back home sent me a tin of Laverbread, so have just had a "Swansea" breakfast. Fried the Laverbread with bacon, some clams ( nearest to cockles in U.S), eggs and fried bread. Later will go, as Dylan Thomas wrote, carousing into the night.
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We asked you to send us your St David's Day stories. Here are a selection of your responses.