Wales have two popular national emblems. The most popular being the leek and the other being the daffodil. Of these emblems, the leek has been associated with the country of Wales for many years and has been accepted as the national emblem since the 16th century.

There are many legends of the leek to be recognized as the national emblem of Wales. According to one such legend, St David, the patron saint of Wales, advised the soldiers of the Welsh army before entering into warfare with the Saxons in the battle of Heathfield in 633 AD, to wear leeks on their caps which would help them to identify the fellow soldiers from that of the enemies. This was followed by a great victory of the Welsh army. The same history was repeated in 1415 when, at the Battle of Agincourt, the Welsh archers defeated Henry V. Since then, the leek has been considered the national emblem of the country and it has become customary to wear leeks on St David’s Day, which is also a Welsh national holiday, and it is also mandatory for every soldier of the Welsh regiment to eat a raw leek on this day as a mark of respect to St David. Leek is seen to be depicted on the backside of one pound coin dated 1985.

Since the word for leek and that of daffodil is the same in Welsh, daffodil is also considered to be a national emblem. Being the national flower it is a tradition for the Welsh people to wear a daffodil on St. David’s Day.