According to a Latin manuscript, David died in the year 589.
(The Welsh version of his name is Dewi; David is sometimes
Welshified to Daffyd.) His mother was called Non, and his
father, Sant, was the son of Ceredig, King of Ceredigion.
After being educated in Cardiganshire, David went on pilgrimage
through south Wales and the west of England, where it is said
that he founded religious centres such as Glastonbury and
Croyland. Legend claims that he even went on a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem, where he was made archbishop.
He eventually settled at Glyn Rhosyn (St David's), in southwest Wales, where he established a very strict ascetic religious community. The monks engaged in hard manual labour, sustained by a diet of only vegetables and water. He was appointed archbishop of Wales at the Synod of Brevi.
Many miracles have been attributed to him. The most incredible was performed when he was preaching at the Synod of Llanddewibrefi - he caused the ground to rise underneath him so that he could be seen and heard by all. How much truth is in this account of his life by Rhigyfarch is hard to tell. It must be considered that Rhigyfarch was the son of the Bishop of St David's, and that the Life was written as propaganda to establish David's superiority and defend the bishopric from being taken over by Canterbury and the Normans.
From the 12th century onwards, David's fame spread throughout South Wales and as far as Ireland and Brittany. St David's Cathedral became a popular centre of pilgrimage, particularly after David was officially recognised as a Catholic saint in 1120. From this period on, he was frequently referred to in the work of medieval Welsh poets such as Iolo Goch and Lewys Glyn Cothi.
In 1398, it was ordained that his feast-day was to be kept by every church in the Province of Canterbury. Though the feast of David as a religious festival came to an end with the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, the day of his birth became a national festival during the18th century.
No reliable explanation has been found for the traditional association of daffodils and leeks as symbols of Saint David. There is a story that on the way to a very muddy battle, whilst passing through a field of leeks, David suggested that the Welsh soldiers wear a leek in their hats so that they would recognise who was on their own side.
March 1, Saint David's Day, is celebrated throughout Wales and wherever Welsh people forgather.