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Thenational symbols ofWales include various official and unofficial images and other symbols.
| The current design is based uponHenry Tudor's own battle-flag which he carried doSt.Paul's Cathedral, London to bless as soon as he was declared king ofKingdom of England and Wales.[1] As an emblem, thered dragon (Welsh:Y Ddraig Goch) of Wales has been used since the reign ofCadwaladr,King of Gwynedd from around 655 AD and is present on the nationalflag of Wales, which became an official flag in 1959.[2] |
.svg) | The flag of the PrincelyHouse of Aberffraw,blazonedQuarterlyor andgules, fourlions passant guardant two and twocounterchanged langued and armedAzure.[3] |
 | The banner ofOwain Glyndŵr is associated with Welsh nationhood.[4] the image of the lions were used by Welsh forces within battles duringGlyndŵr's battles against the English, includes four lions on red and gold. The standard is similar to the arms ofLlywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last), the last Prince of Wales before the conquest of Wales byEdward I of England. The design may also be influenced by the arms of Glyndwr's parents, both of whom had lions in their arms.[5] There's no evidence to suggest this was ever used as a flag, but they are used today on public buildings. |
 | TheFlag of Saint David, the patron Saint of Wales is sometimes used as an alternative to the national flag, is flown onSt David's Day.[6] |
 | The Golden Dragon (Welsh:Y Ddraig Aur) Gold dragon of Wales, a flag used by Glyndŵr in his independence campaign.: 238 : 43|[7]: 238 [8]: 43 |
 | TheRed Dragon (Welsh:Y Ddraig Goch) of Wales is a symbol of Wales that appears in "Cyfranc Lludd a Lleuelys",Historia Brittonum,Historia Regnum Britianniae, and theWelsh triads. According to legend,Vortigern (Welsh:Gwrtheyrn)King of the Celtic Britons from Powys is interrupted whilst attempting to build fort at Dinas Emrys. He is told by Merlin/Ambrosius (Welsh:Myrddin) to dig up two dragons beneath the castle. He discovers a red dragon representing theCeltic Britons (now Welsh) and a white dragon representing Anglo-Saxons (now English). Merlin/Ambrosius prophesies that the Celtic Britons will reclaim the island and push the Anglo-Saxons back to the sea.[9][10] As an emblem, the red dragon has been used since the reign ofCadwaladr,King of Gwynedd from around 655AD and is present on the nationalflag of Wales, which became an official flag in 1959.[2] |
 | Traditional Arms of theHouse of Aberffraw, Gwynedd and the personal arms ofLlywelyn the Great.[11] |
 | Owain Glyndŵr's shield of arms was adopted by Glyndŵr as Prince of Wales, from 1400.[12] |
.svg){kind=icon} | The Welsh coat of arms, orRoyal Badge of Wales, which is based on the arms of thenative princes of Wales from the 13th century.[13] |
 | The badge represents the Duke of Cornwall or Heir Apparent of the British monarchy (commonly known as thePrince of Wales's feathers).[14] It consists of three white feathers emerging from a gold coronet and theGerman mottoIch dien (I serve). Several Welsh representative teams, including the Welsh rugby union, and Welsh regiments in theBritish Army (theRoyal Welsh, for example) use the badge or a stylised version of it. There have been attempts made to curtail the use of the emblem for commercial purposes and restrict its use to those authorised by the Prince of Wales.[15] The use of the emblem to symbolise Wales is controversial, such asits use by the Welsh rugby union.[16][17][18][19] |
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is the traditionalnational anthem ofWales.[20] The words were written byEvan James and the tune was composed by his son,James James, both residents ofPontypridd,Glamorgan, in January 1856.[20][21] The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of theNational Library of Wales.[21]
 | Theleek is the national emblem of Wales.[22] According to legend, KingCadwaladr of Gwynedd ordered Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the leek on their armour in an ancient battle.[23] |
_-_25.jpg) | Thedaffodil is thenational flower of Wales, worn onSt David's Day (1 March) in Wales. The daffodil may be known asWelsh:cenhinen Bedr (Saint Peter's leek).[24] |
 | TheSessile Oak, also called the Welsh Oak is thenational tree of Wales.[25] |
.jpg) | Thered kite is sometimes named as the national symbol of wildlife in Wales.[26] |
TheWelsh language is considered a symbol and icon of Wales and considered a "cornerstone of Welsh identity". Spoken throughout Wales by around 750,000 people, it is present on television, radio,road signs and road markings.[27]
 | Saint David is thepatron saint of Wales. |
 | Llywelyn the Great was Prince of Wales between 1195 and 1240. |
 | Owain Glyndŵr was the leader of theWelsh revolt against English rule in the Late Middle Ages. |
The earliest known dated lovespoon from Wales, displayed in theSt Fagans National History Museum nearCardiff, is from 1667, although the tradition is believed to date back long before that.[35]
The uniqueWelsh hat, which first made its appearance in the 1830s, was used as an icon of Wales from the 1840s.[36]
From the 1880s, when the traditional costume had gone out of general use, selected elements of it became adopted as a national costume. From then on it was worn by women at events such as Royal visits, by choirs, at church and chapel, for photographs and occasionally ateisteddfodau. It was first worn by girls as a celebration onSaint David's Day just before the First World War. The costume is now recognised as thenational dress of Wales.[37]
 | Welsh cakes are described in the Life in the UK test as the national dish of Wales. |
 | Cawl is a traditional Welsh soup made with lamb or beef and leeks, potatoes, swedes, carrots and other seasonal vegetables |
 | Glamorgan sausages are traditional Welsh vegetarian sausages made from cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs. |
 | Welsh rarebit is a dish of hotcheese sauce served ontoasted bread. |
Male voice choirs are considered a Welsh symbol. Traditional members of the movement include the Treorchy choir and the Morriston choir. More recently, the success Only Men Aloud has also played a part in continuing this tradition.[27]
The Welsh harp, also known as the triple harp is considered to be the national instrument of Wales.[38]
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau gradually became accepted as Wales' national anthem – though to this day, it has no official status as such.
