What it means to be Welsh.

Shwmae. Croeso i Gemma's byd ac dydd gwyl Dewi hapus.

I can see that my flawless ability to use Google translate to a certain extent has impressed you greatly so that means we're off to a flying start with this blog. If you're a fluent Welsh speaker, then I apologise for my terrible attempts at speaking what should be my mother tongue.

If you, unlike me, speak fluent and coherent Welsh, then you will understand the point that I am trying to get across. That being that yesterday was the day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales which, as you may know by now, falls on the first of March every year, in remembrance of his death.

Personally, I have always loved Saint David's Day. Unlike most of my class at school who used to enjoy the extra art lessons to make extra Welshy arty things, the extra assembly time to listen to Welsh poems and stories and the extra Welsh cakes at break and lunch times, I used to and still do love the feeling of sharing my national pride with the rest of my country. The only thing I used to hate about this day was my mother's determination to dress me in traditional welsh dress until at least the age of ten (feel free to look it up and feel my pain) but, thankfully, in 2013, we have somewhat caught up with society and modernised our celebrations slightly.

So, what better day to pose the question - What is being Welsh?

Fortunately, it's not all frilly aprons and rugby shirts as it was when I was younger. In 2013, being Welsh means many things in an amalgamation of many diverse cultures.

Am I Welsh because I feel like I fit in more and am more at home on this side of the Severn Bridge than the other? Am I Welsh because my coat is also my jacket? Because 'here', 'ear' and 'year' are all indiscernible? Because Sospan Bach qualifies as a fantastic song even though the lyrics are about a little boy being scrammed by his cat? (Seriously, give it a listen.) Because you'll be there now. In a minute?

As a thorough-bred Welshwoman who has been living in this wonderful country for all of the 20 glorious years of her life, for me, being Welsh mostly means wanting Wales to win the rugby every single time they play, knowing the importance of the difference between a hug and a cwtch, getting irate when people think that Wales is England, (or vise versa), loving my free prescriptions as I go through the motions with my health, being proud of my heritage as one of the purest Celts and resting safe in the knowledge that we have some of the best looking rugby players in the world.

In a recent survey which asked 1,000 Welsh residents a series of questions about being Welsh versus being British, it revealed that 40% identified most with being Welsh, 35% their local community and under a quarter, British.

It's something that I can fully appreciate. For me, it has never been a question of being Welsh, or British or European. I have never questioned my national identity because I have never really felt British, (the exception to this lies in the recent Olympic and Paralympic games in London, as I'm sure is the case with a lot of people.) I have always felt somewhat disconnected from Britain because I've always viewed the UK as being English which I am most certainly not.

Don't get me wrong - I don't really have a problem with the English since meeting some wonderful English people at university and now being in what society perceives as a 'long term' fully function relationship with an Englishman, I suppose I can't really have a problem with them anymore, even if I wanted to. It's just the idea of being anything but Welsh is scary. I wouldn't know how to be a good Englishwoman or Scotswoman or Irishwoman. I'm not formal enough to be English, I hate the sound of the Bagpipes and while I do love potatoes, I don't think I have what it takes to make it in Ireland.

Personally, I don't believe that Welshness is inherent in being born in Wales, speaking Welsh or being ethnically Welsh. I know people who meet all three of those criteria who are English, British or come from further afield and I know people who meet none of those criteria and yet, are some of the most passionate Welsh people you could ever hope to meet. Surely, being Welsh is open to anyone who feels a deep love for this wonderful country and an inherent Welshness when they are here, which is one of the fantastic things about living here.

For me, being Welsh is mostly being proud of and loving the country deeply. Despite the fact that we are on the map as part of the British Aisles, Wales has single handily played its part in making the UK a great place. We brought the world Tom Jones, Dylan Thomas, Joseph Parry, Joe Calzaghe, Catherine Zeta-Jones and, more importantly, the wonderful show that is Gavin and Stacey. We gave Britain Aneurin Bevan, who reformed the NHS in 1948, Roald Dahl who provided some of the best children's literature that I would still happily read to this day and let's not forget that mail order catalogues would not exist if Pryce Pryce-Jones had not first used the post to sell flannel from Montgomeryshire to far away customers, such as Queen Vic. Telephones work because of carbon microphones invented by David Hughes and the world would have no internet or mobile phones had it not been for Donald Davies and his packet switching. Basically, Wales is a country full of fantastic history, culture and achievement.

 But mostly, I think that being Welsh can be summed up in ten comforting points;

1) Being accused of bestiality with sheep is perfectly normal

2) You automatically correct people on their pronunciation of Welsh place names, even if you can't speak the language.

3) You say the word 'like' at least once in every sentence.

4) You feel the overwhelming need to tell people who are not from the UK that Wales is definitely not a part of England.

5) The only sentence you seem to know in Welsh is "Rydw i'n hoffi coffi." Even if you don't like coffee.

6) Wales versus England in the six nations is the most important day of the year. Full stop.

7) You're drawn to the place, despite being born and bred elsewhere.

8) You support whoever is playing against England in the rugby.

9) You have the last name or know someone with the last name Williams, Bevan, Llewelyn, Morgan, Rees, Powell, Howell, Davies, Lewis, Thomas, Jones, Griffiths, Morris, Evans, James, Roberts, Jenkins, Owens or PARRY.

10) A cwtch is the answer to all of your problems.

Basically, whether you love us or hate us, (and if you're English, it's probably the latter), we are here, our country is amazing and full to the brim of a proud people's who simply love their country for what it is. As much as I may not want to quote the guy, as David Cameron said on his Twitter profile yesterday morning, "From one of Europe's oldest living languages, a great literary tradition and incredible music, to world-class sport, mouth-watering cuisine and a thriving business environment - we can all take pride in such a rich culture and heritage."

The only problem is that it's too close to England.