Traditions of Cardiff
The Welsh capital, where St David's Day, male voice choirs and the eisteddfod keep language and song alive.
Cardiff became the capital of Wales in 1955 and sits on Cardiff Bay. Wales has its own language, Cymraeg, spoken by hundreds of thousands, and a strong tradition of poetry competitions, choral singing and rugby. The red dragon is the national emblem, and the leek and daffodil are worn on 1 March.
Eisteddfod and St David's Day
On St David's Day, schoolchildren wear traditional Welsh dress and parade in the streets. The National Eisteddfod, a travelling festival, awards a chair and a crown for poetry in the Welsh language. Male voice choirs and hymns such as Calon Lân are sung at rugby matches and festivals.
At the table
Cawl, a lamb and vegetable stew, Welsh rarebit, bara brith, a fruit tea loaf, and Welsh cakes cooked on a griddle are loved. Laverbread, seaweed, is eaten with cockles at breakfast. Tea is drunk in large quantities. On St David's Day, cawl and Welsh cakes are served in schools and church halls across the city.
Signature traditions of Cardiff
Also part of it, and being written: Cawl (The stew.), Welsh cake (The griddle cake.), Male voice choir (The Welsh choir.).
A trail idea for Cardiff
- Cardiff Castle See the Roman and Norman walls.
- Cardiff Market Buy Welsh cakes and laverbread.
- Millennium Stadium Watch rugby.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇬🇧 Cardiff, United KingdomNational Eisteddfod of WalesEisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru
An annual week-long festival of Welsh music, poetry and culture held across different locations in Wales.Festival
🇬🇧 Cardiff, United Kingdom and 1 moreSaint David's DayDydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant
The national feast day of Wales, marked with parades, poetry contests and daffodilsFestival
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomRemembrance Sunday
A day of solemn remembrance for military and civilian service members in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.Ceremony
🇬🇧 Llangollen, United Kingdom and 5 moreEisteddfod
A Welsh festival of poetry and music competitions, featuring the chairing and crowning of winning bards.Festival
🇬🇧 Cardiff, United KingdomGorsedd CymruGorsedd Cymru (yr Orsedd)
A Welsh society of poets and writers that holds ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod to honour cultural achievements.Festival
🇬🇧 United KingdomRacial Justice Sunday
A day of prayer and action for racial justice observed by British Christian churches in February.Spiritual
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Remembrance Day: Philip Stevens, Public domain, source
- Saint David's Day: National Assembly for Wales, CC BY 2.0, source
- Racial Justice Sunday: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- National Eisteddfod of Wales: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eisteddfod: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gorsedd Cymru: Els Pam Pels, CC0, source