It's a Welsh Celebration Today (not as a Result of a Rugby Match!)

What do David Niven, Saint David, and Glenn Miller have in Common? Read on and you’ll find out!

If today was in the year 2012, it would be February 29th due to the fact that once every four years we have what is called a Leap Year. This is to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical or seasonal year.
Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting an additional day into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a Common Year.

Put another way, it takes the earth 365.2422 days to travel round the sun, so we correct the 0.2422 every four years by adding an extra day to the year (Feb 29th). Those bright sparks and mathematicians amongst you will have noticed that 4 x 0.2422 does not equal one exactly. So we have to refine the rule and there have been various propositions on this. One is that we refine the calendar every 8,000 years, whilst another suggests every 4,000 years. A third option is to revise every 128 years, which would mean the next revision year for the rule would be in 2048!

The composer Gioacchino Rossini (he of the William Tell Overture fame) was born on February 29th in the year 1792, and as he can only celebrate his birthday every four years that means he is now only fifty four and a half years old!

But today is March 1st, and this is celebrated as St David’s Day. St David was thought to be King Arthur’s uncle (I’ll bet you didn’t know that did you?) He is the patron Saint of Wales, and the Welsh celebrate his day by eating daffodils and wearing leeks (Should that be other way round???)

Tonight the Eldwick & Gilstead Male Voice Choir will be only singing Welsh Songs at their practice, and will celebrate St David’s Day with a bowl of Leek and Potato Soup!

Both Glenn Miller (the band leader)

and David Niven (the film star) have their birthdays on St David’s Day.

Happy St David's Day!