Wales and the Leek

For this post, I am doing Wales and the leek. there are many different emblems of Wales including the daffodil, the leek and the red dragon that features on their flag. I chose to do the leek over the daffodil as the leek has been a symbol for longer.

The Leek (Cenhinen):

The leek belongs in the same vegetable family as the onion and garlic. It has been associated with the Ancient Egyptian diet as archaeologists have found it on wall carvings and also have found dried leeks in excavations.

Wales (Cymru):

Wales is a small country in Great Britain. It has a population of around 3 million. Its capital is Cardiff which has around 348 thousand people living in it. Wales is known for its rugby and its singing, most notably the Welsh hymns "Guide Us Oh Thou Great Jehovah" and "Land of my Fathers" which I will put I video up of in the next post. The main languages in Wales are Welsh and English, both of which are commonly used.

Connection between Plant and Country:

As with the Scottish and the thistle, no one is quite sure how the leek became a national emblem. There are many different legends and stories but this one is the main one. In  The Battle of The Saxons, St David told his troops to put a leek on their caps so they could easily know who was a friend and who was a foe and this was thought to have helped to secure their victory. This was done again in The Battle of Agincourt  and again helped them to win. Because of this, the leek became one of the national emblems of Wales. 

Websites Used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leek

http://www.geiriadur.net/



http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/mid-year-estimates-population/?lang=en
http://www.wales.com/about-wales/facts-about-wales
http://www.leekrecipes.co.uk/why-leeks-are-the-national-emblem-of-wales/
http://www.wales-calling.com/culture/leek-and-daffodil.htm