What is a tradition and how do traditions grow? An interesting question at a time, when usually, Saint David’s Day dinners are being organised and when teachers are usually preparing for celebrating our patron saint day including coaching the children for the annual Urdd Eisteddfod, or as has been happening over the last ten years or so, to go to the local Saint David’s Day Parade. By 2020 there were around 25 parades in towns and villages around Wales, a huge growth over the last fifteen years when there were just a handful in existence.

But this year it seems highly unlikely that we will be joining together to celebrate our patron saint on our streets or together in dinners. Schools will also not be able to come together and celebrate in their usual fashion.

So perhaps now is the time to develop and grow some traditions that have already become incredibly popular over the last sixteen year since Gwenno Dafydd had the idea of creating a special anthem for Saint David’s Day. She was banging a metal bell with a wooden clapper of the type used by Saint David and his followers whilst taking part in the 2005 National Saint David’s Day Parade, following the very first parade in 2004, when she had the idea of creating an anthem.

Gwenno wrote some lyrics in both Welsh and English and she took them to Heulwen Thomas who wrote the music for ‘Cenwch y Clychau i Dewi’ - ‘Ring out the bells for Saint David’.

Since then the song has been performed all over Wales and further afield numerous times in Canada, Los Angeles, Patagonia , Disneyland Paris, Westminster, Brangwyn Hall, Llandaff Cathedral in the ‘All Wales Saint David’s Day Service’, Saint David’s Cathedral (many years running) in countless parades all over Wales and on the television regularly on Saint David’s Day.

The song manuscript is available for sale on the ‘Ty Cerdd’ website in four versions, piano and voice, female and male voice choirs and mixed SATB choir. Why don’t you get a group of people together on the web or teach this to the children in your school so that you can join together this year to sing it virtually and by next year you will be able to sing it out on the streets and in our communities?

https://tycerddshop.com/collections/sheet-music/composer_gwenno-dafydd

This song can pull all our communities together on our patron saint day – the only part of our celebrations that can be used virtually in all corners of the world, as is shown on this video of children from Patagonia, Los Angeles, North and South Wales. The item appeared originally on Tinopolis’s ‘Wedi Saith’ (After Seven)

And if you are looking for an exciting project to get children to take part in – whether that is because you are looking for something to entertain them whilst you are home-schooling them or as a class teacher, how about a challenge or a competition to get them to design a Saint David’s Day family, class or school banner based on the words and images of the Saint David’s Day Anthem. The very first school banner (Ysgol Cwmgors) was accepted into San Ffagan Museum in 2019

The first ever Saint David’s Day School Banner – Ysgol Cwm Gors.

Service to hand-over the banner permanently to San Fagan on the 19 ^th February 2019

https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/17480251.pupils-present-banner-to-st-fagans-with-pride/

It will be an interesting challenge and when the children are permanently back in school you will be able to have a parade all around the school grounds with all the banners whilst the children sing the anthem before they go into school for their annual Saint David’s Day Eisteddfod.

This idea is part of an extended project of creating County Banners instigated by Gwenno. Three beautiful hand-made banners have already been made and have all been used extensively in Saint David’s Day Celebrations throughout our land.

Pembrokeshire Carmarthenshire Montgomeryshire

And if you are interested to read more about these new traditions as well as older traditions, Gwasg Carreg Gwlach (Press) have produced a Welsh medium book called ‘Heddiw, Ddoe a Gwyl Ddewi’. (Today, Yesterday and Saint David Celebrations) and it is available at your local Welsh medium book shop. We are hoping that this book will be available through the medium of English in the near future.

So until we are all able to celebrate our patron saint day together – what about we create and firm up some new traditions during this Covid Crisis? Happy Saint David’s Day to you all – wherever you are in the world.

Sut allwn ni ddathlu Dydd Gwyl Dewi ynghyd eleni? 

Beth yw traddodiad a sut mae traddodiadau yn tyfu? Cwestiwn ddiddorol ar adeg, fel arfer, pan fydd ciniawau Dydd Gwyl Dewi yn cael eu trefnu ac athrawon yn dechrau paratoi ar gyfer gwyl dathlu ein nawdd sant gan gynnwys hyfforddi’r plant ar gyfer Eisteddfod yr Urdd, neu falle fel dros y deng mlynedd a mwy diwethaf - mynd i bared Dydd Gwyl Dewi lleol. Erbyn 2020 r’oedd bron i 25 pared mewn trefi a phentrefi ar hyd a lled Cymru, tyfiant aruthrol dros y pymtheg mlynedd olaf pan oedd ond llond dwrn ohonynt yn bodoli.

Ond eleni ni fydd hi’n bosib i ddod ynghyd i ddathlu dydd ein nawdd sant ar ein strydoedd na chwaith mewn ciniawau gyda’n gilydd. Ni fydd ysgolion yn medru ymgynyll na chwaith cyd-ddathlu yn ein dulliau arferol chwaith.

A falle nawr yw yr amser iawn i ddatblygu a thyfu rhai traddodiadau sydd eisioes wedi dod yn boblogiadd dros yr un mlynedd ar bymtheg olaf ers i Gwenno Dafydd gael y syniad i creu anthem arbennig i Dydd Gwyl Dewi. R’oedd hi yn taro cloch ddur drom, tebyg i’r rhai oedd mynachod Dewi Sant yn eu defnyddio, tra’n gorymdeithio o amglych Caerdydd yng Ngorymdaith Genedlaethol Dydd Gwyl Dewi yn 2005, yn dilyn y gyntaf yn 2004, pan gafodd hi’r syniad am greu anthem.

Fe sgwennodd Gwenno eiriau yn Gymraeg a Saesneg a mynd a nhw at Heulwen Thomas wnaeth ysgrifennu y gerddoriaeth i ‘Cenwch y Clychau i Dewi’ - ‘Ring out the bells for Saint David’.

Ers hynna mae y gan wedi cael ei pherfformio ar hyd a lled Cymru, Canada, Los Angeles, Patagonia , Disneyland Paris, San Steffan, Neuadd y Brangwyn, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf, Eglwys Gadeiriol Ty Ddewi (sawl gwaith), mewn nifer helaeth o ‘pareds’ ar hyd a lled Cymru ag ar y teledu yn rheolaidd ar ddydd Gwyl Dewi.

Mae y gan ar gael i’w phrynu ar wefan Ty Cerdd mewn pedair fersiwn - piano a llais, cor merched, cor bechgyn a chor cymysg. Beth am i chi ddod a criw o bobl at eu gilydd ar y we neu ei dysgu i’r plant yn eich ysgol er mwyn ei gyd ganu eleni yn rhithiol ag erbyn y flwyddyn nesaf allan ar ein strydoedd ag yn ein cymunedau yn ein pareds a ciniawau?

https://tycerddshop.com/collections/sheet-music/composer_gwenno-dafydd

Gall y gan yma ddod a’n cymunedau at eu gilydd – yr unig ran o Ddathliadau Dewi y gellid ei defnyddio yn rhithiol ym mhedwar ban byd fel y dangosir yn y fidio yma o blant ym Mhatagonia, Los Angeles, De a Gogledd Cymru yn canu’r gan gyda’u gilydd. Ymddangosodd yr eitem ar ‘Wedi Saith’, Tinopolis yn wreiddiol.

Ag os ydych chi yn edrych am gynllun cyffroes i gael eich plant i gyfrannu tuag ati – boed hynna achos eich bod yn edrych am rywbeth i’w diddori tra’n eu haddysgu o adref neu fel athro neu athrawes ddosbarth - beth am her neu cystadleuaeth i gynllunio baner teulu, dosbarth neu ysgol wedi ei selio ar eiriau a delweddau Anthem Dydd Gwyl Dewi? Cafodd y faner ysgol gyntaf ei derbyn mewn i San Ffagan yn 2019.

Baner Ysgol Dydd Gwyl Dewi gyntaf – Ysgol Gynradd Cwmgors.

Gwasanaeth trosglwyddo’r faner yn barhaol i San Ffagan 19eg o Chwefror 2019. https://www.southwalesguardian.co.uk/news/17480251.pupils-present-banner-to-st-fagans-with-pride/

Bydd yn her ddiddorol a phan fydd y plant yn ol yn barhaol yn yr ysgol fe allwch chi gael gorymdaith o amglych yr ysgol gyda’r baneri tra fo’r plant yn canu yr anthem cyn iddyn nhw ddod i fewn i’r ysgol i gael yr Eisteddfod flynyddol.

Mae y syniad yma yn ran ehangach o gynllun creu baneri sirol mae Gwenno Dafydd wedi ysgogi. Mae tair baner sirol hardd eisioes wedi cael eu creu gyda llaw, ac maent eisioes wedi cael eu defnyddio nifer helaeth o weithiau mewn dathliadau Dydd Gwyl Dewi ar draws ein gwlad.

Sir Benfro Sir Gaerfyrddin Sir Drefaldwyn

Ac os oes gennych ddiddordeb i ddarllen am y traddodiadau newydd yma yn ogystal a rhai sydd yn hynnach, mae Gwasg Carrreg Gwalch wedi cynhyrchu llyfr o’r enw ‘Heddiw, Ddoe a Gwyl Ddewi’ a mae ar gael o’ch siop Gymraeg leol. R’ydym yn gobeithio efallai fydd y llyfryn yn cael ei gyfieithu cyn bo hir.

Felly tan i ni allu dathlu dydd ein Nawdd Sant Dewi yn ein dulliau traddodiadol – beth am i ni greu rhai newydd yn ystod y Cyfnod Cofidus? Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus i chi gyd – ble bynnag yn y byd!