St. David's Day 2023: 3 ways your business can celebrate Welsh pride

St. David's Day is the perfect holiday for Welsh businesses to utilise national pride in their marketing. More than a day focused on leeks, daffodils and harpists, this feast and celebration is a day to showcase products and services made by the Welsh to sell in Wales and to Welsh expats all over the globe. A colourful symphony of tradition and festivity, this holiday is an opportunity for businesses to increase their sales and customer base.

History of St. David's Day

St David's Day is an annual celebration the Welsh have observed since 1120. It commemorates St David, the greatest figure in the 6th century Welsh Age of Saints who founded scores of religious communities. St. David is also the only native-born patron saint of Britain and Ireland.

Most obtainable information surrounding St. David was gleaned from 11th-century scholar Rhygyfarch. The scholar revealed that St. David was born in Pembrokeshire and became a renowned preacher. David's fellow monks soon elected him primate of the region of Brefi, where he proceeded to preside over the Synod of Caerleon.

Pope Callixtus II canonised St. David and officially became the national patron saint of Wales. Since then, March 1 has officially been included in the church calendar as St. David's Day.

How to promote your businesses on St. David's Day?

1. Showcase local produce

As part of St. David's Day celebrations, many of Wales's heritage sites have been opened to the public for free on this annual Welsh holiday. Many food and drink businesses should take this opportunity to showcase Welsh produce to visiting tourists to entice them to learn more about Welsh culture.

Businesses can also run one-day promotions to market their new, national-themed products and offer free samples to the steady influx of interested visitors who frequent Wales during this time specifically to participate in the festivities. International guests can bring home souvenirs for their loved ones, and they might even be convinced to become repeat customers and have your goods shipped all the way to their homes.

2. Engage and enlighten your customer base using social media

Though St. David's Day is an incredibly important holiday for the Welsh, it is still a lesser-known celebration in other parts of the world. Your business can post infographics and send out themed email campaigns that seek to educate your customers and entice them to actively participate in St. David's Day events.

Through interactive posts like running social media polls or playing Facebook story bingo, businesses can take the time to reward their loyal customers while encouraging new customers to take an interest in their products and services. This community holiday should empower and strengthen the community of customers you have already built while celebrating national pride on this Welsh holiday.

3. Capitalise on daffodils and traditional Welsh costumes

People typically wear a daffodil, the national emblem of Wales, to show their national pride during St. David's Day. Whether you're in the flower business or not, daffodils can easily be interwoven into your store decorations or bundled as a holiday-themed package when customers purchase one of your products.

Children and women in Wales also frequently wear traditional Welsh costumes for the celebration. The girls often wear a petticoat and overcoat made of Welsh flannel and pair this with a tall hat worn over a frilled bonnet. Visiting tourists in the area would be quite interested in having their pictures taken while wearing a traditional Welsh costume. Such a promotion would encourage more people to frequent your shop and patronise your business.

Prince William is reported to be learning the Celtic language for his role as Prince of Wales. Still, thousands have signed an online petition calling for the end of the "Prince of Wales" title as they believe it to be a symbol of historical oppression.