An Eisteddfod (pronounced /aɪˈstɛðvəd/, Welsh IPA: [ə(i)ˈstɛðvɔd]; plural Eisteddfodau [-stɛðˈvɔdaɨ] or eisteddfods) is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter A performance, in Performing arts, generally comprises an event in which one group of people (the performer or performers behave in a particular way for another group of people The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176, but with the decline of the bardic tradition it fell into abeyance. Genealogy and early life Rhys was the second son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, ruler of part of Deheubarth and Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cardiganshire (Sir Aberteifi was an ancient county of Wales created in 1282 Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2 The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. The word Eisteddfod is derived from the Welsh word eistedd, meaning "sit". Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic
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History
The first Eisteddfod was that held by Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd in Cardigan Castle in 1176 at which prizes of chairs were awarded to the winners. Genealogy and early life Rhys was the second son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, ruler of part of Deheubarth and Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cardigan Castle (ca 1100) is a Castle located in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. The next recorded Eisteddfod was held in Caerwys in 1568. Caerwys is a town in Flintshire, North Wales, United Kingdom. The prizes awarded were a miniature silver chair to the successful poet, a little silver crwth to the winning fiddler, a silver tongue to the best singer, and a tiny silver harp to the best harpist. The crwth is an archaic stringed Musical instrument, associated particularly with Welsh music, although once played widely in Europe Originally, the contests were limited to professional Welsh bards who were paid by the nobility. To ensure the highest standard possible Elizabeth I of England commanded that the bards be examined and licensed. As the interest in the Welsh arts declined the standard of the Eisteddfod deteriorated as well and they became more informal. In 1789 Thomas Jones organised an Eisteddfod in Corwen where for the first time the public were admitted. Corwen is a town and Civil parish in the county of Denbighshire, north-east Wales (but previously in the former county of The success of this event led to a revival of interest in Welsh literature and music.
The Eisteddfod Revival
Iolo Morganwg (bardic name of Edward Williams) founded "Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain" (Gorsedd of the Bards of the Isle of Britain) in 1792 to restore and replace the ancient Eisteddfod. Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling ˈjolo morˈganːug was the Bardic name of Edward Williams ( March 10 1747 &ndash Edward Williams may refer to Iolo Morganwg (1747–1826 Welsh antiquarian Edward Williams (painter (1782-1855 English painter gorsedd (ˈgɔrsɛð plural gorseddau, is a community of Bards The word means "throne" in Welsh. The first Eisteddfod of the revival was held in Primrose Hill, London. Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in North London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
"The Gentleman's Magazine" of October, 1792 reported on the revival of the Eisteddfod tradition.
"This being the day on which the autumnal equinox occurred, some Welsh bards, resident in London, assembled in congress on Primrose Hill, according to ancient usage. Present at the meeting was Edward Jones who had published his "The Musical and Poetical Reelicks of the Welsh Bards" in 1784 in a belated effort to try to preserve the native Welsh traditions being so ruthlessly stamped out by the new breed of Methodists. "
The Blue Books notorious attack on the character of the Welsh as a nation in 1846 led to public anger and the belief that it was important for the Welsh to create a new national image. The Treachery of the Blue Books or Treason of the Blue Books (Brad y Llyfrau Gleision was the name given in Wales to the Reports of the commissioners of enquiry By the 1850s people began to talk of a National Eisteddfod to showcase Wales's culture. In 1858 John Williams ab Ithel held a "National" Eisteddfod complete with Gorsedd in Llangollen. Llangollen (ɬaŋ'ɡoɬɛn is a small town in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn "The great Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858" was a significant event. Thomas Stephens won for his essay in which he demolished the claim of John Williams (the events organiser) that Madoc discovered America. Thomas Stephens (1821 - 1875 was a Welsh historian and critic Madoc (Standard Welsh: Madog) ab Owain Gwynedd was according to folklore a Welsh prince who discovered America in 1170 over three As Williams had expected Stephens essay to reinforce the myth he was not willing to award the prize to Stephens and it is recorded "matters became turbulent". This Eisteddfod also saw the first public appearance of John Ceiriog Hughes who won a prize for a love poem, "Myfanwy Fychan of Dinas Brân. John Ceiriog Hughes ( September 25, 1832 - April 23, 1887) was a Welsh poet and well-known collector of Welsh folk Myfanwy Fychan" which became an instant hit. There is speculation this was a result of its depiction of "deserving, beautiful, moral, well-mannered Welshwoman" in stark contrast to The Blue Books depiction of Welsh women as having questionable morals.
The National Eisteddfod Council was created after Llangollen and the Gorsedd consequently merged with it. The Gorsedd holds the right of proclamation and of governance while the Council organises the event. The first true National Eisteddfod organised by the Council was held in Denbigh in 1860 on a pattern that continues to the present day. Denbigh (Dinbych is a Market town in Denbighshire, North Wales.
The National Eisteddfod
The most important Eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the largest festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe. The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru) is the most important of several Eisteddfodau that are held annually mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances, entirely in the Welsh language, are staged annually in the first week of August usually alternating between North and South Wales (see the National Eisteddfod article for a list of past venues). Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Over 6000 people competed at the 2006 National Eisteddfod with 150,000 visitors attending.
The Urdd Eisteddfod
Another important eisteddfod in the calendar is 'Eisteddfod Yr Urdd', or the youth eisteddfod. Organised by Wales's largest youth movement, Urdd Gobaith Cymru, it brings together children from the age of 7, up to young adults of 24, from all across Wales, for a week of competition of singing, recitation, dancing, acting and musicianship in the summer half-term school holiday. Urdd Gobaith Cymru, literally the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Recitation means a repetition of what has been said before It is used in a religious an oratorical and an educational sense Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic Acting is the work of an Actor or Actress, which is a person in Theatre, Television, Film, or any other Storytelling A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a The event is claimed to be Europe's premier youth arts festival. [1] Regional heats are held in advance of the final competition and, as with the national eisteddfod, the Urdd Eisteddfod is held in a different location each year, although with the establishment of the Urdd headquarters in the Wales Millennium Centre, the eisteddfod will return to Cardiff every four years. Wales Millennium Centre (Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru which also has a nickname locally as The Armadillo, is a centre for the Performing arts located in the Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales.
Recent Eisteddfodau have been held at:
- 2003 - Margam Park
- 2004 - Llangefni, Anglesey
- 2005 - Cardiff
- 2006 - Ruthin
- 2007 - Carmarthen
- 2008 - Llandudno
Future Eisteddfodau are scheduled to be held at:
- 2009 - Cardiff
- 2010 - Ceredigion
The International Eisteddfod
The International Eisteddfod is held annually in Llangollen, Denbighshire each year in July. Margam Country Park is a Country park estate of around 850 acres (3 Llangefni is the County town Notable residents John Elias, preacher lived in the town 1830&ndash1841 Christmas Evans History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. Ruthin ( Welsh: Rhuthun) pronounced RITH-in Carmarthen ( Welsh Caerfyrddin - caer fort + Myrddin Moridunum is the County town of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Llandudno (pronounced /ɬan'dɪdnɔ/ is a Seaside resort and Town in Conwy, Wales. Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales. Geography List of places in CeredigionCeredigion is a coastal county bordered by Cardigan Bay to the west Gwynedd to the north Powys to the east The International Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. Llangollen (ɬaŋ'ɡoɬɛn is a small town in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn Choirs, singing groups, folk dancers and other groups attend from all over the world, sharing their national folk traditions in one of the world's great festivals of the arts. For the musical composition see Chorale. A choir, chorale, or chorus is a Musical ensemble of Singers Folk dance is a term used to describe a large number of dances mostly of European origin that tend to share the following attributes originally danced in about the It was set up in 1947 and begins with a message of peace. In 2004, it was (unsuccessfully) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Terry Waite, who has been actively involved with the eisteddfod. The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Terry Waite CBE (born May 31 1939 in Styal, Cheshire, England) is a British humanitarian and author
Other eisteddfodau
Smaller-scale local eisteddfodau are held throughout Wales: advertisements for them may appear in the back of the newspapers or on posters locally. Schools hold eisteddfodau as competitions within the school: a popular time for this is on Saint David's Day. Saint David's Day ( Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi) is the feast day of Saint David, the Patron saint of Wales, and falls on
Australia
Eisteddfods (Australian plural) have also been adopted into Australian culture. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Much like the Welsh original, eisteddfods are competitions that involve testing individuals for singing, dancing, acting and musicianship. One has been run by the Royal South Street Society in Ballarat since 1891 [1]. At least 20 years earlier, as described in the diaries of Joseph Jenkins, Ballarat's Welsh community was conducting an annual eisteddfod each St David's Day (1 March). Joseph Jenkins (1818-1898 was an educated tenant farmer from Tregaron, Ceredigion, mid- Wales who when aged over 50 suddenly deserted his home and Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Modern equivalents in Australia are competitions reserved for schoolchildren. Typically, a prize may be a scholarship to pursue a further career. Many young Australian actors and dancers participate regularly in the various competitions scheduled throughout the year. The most popular is the Rock Eisteddfod, which involves 40,000 students from 400 schools in a yearly competition. The Rock Eisteddfod Challenge is a series of dance and drama events staged worldwide by school pupils as part of the Global Rock Challenge
Argentina
Eisteddfodau have been held since the initial Welsh settlement in Argentina in the late nineteenth century. The Welsh settlement in Argentina began in 1865 and occurred mainly along the coast of Chubut province in the far southern region of Patagonia Competitions nowadays are bilingual, in Welsh and Spanish, and include poetry and prose, translations (Welsh, Spanish, English, Italian, and French), musical performances, arts, folk dances, photography and video among others. There is an annual youth eisteddfod held in Gaiman in September, and the main Chubut Eisteddfod is held in Trelew in October. Gaiman is a town in the Chubut Province of Patagonia in Argentina. Trelew is a city in the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Patagonia, with a population of 93386 as per the. An annual eisteddfod is also held in Trevelín, in the Andes. Trevelin is a town in the Patagonian province of Chubut in Argentina. [2]
Non-Welsh Eisteddfodau
In Cornwall, the local version is known as "Esethvos Kernow" (Cornish for "Eisteddfod of Cornwall") and is connected with Gorseth Kernow. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. Gorseth Kernow is a non-political Cornish organisation which exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of the County of Cornwall in
The Eisteddfod idea has been taken up by non-Welsh speakers in the Channel Islands, particularly for the preservation of Jèrriais and Guernesais, and is called such. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands Jèrriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. Guernésiais, also known as Dgèrnésiais, Guernsey French, Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of Norman language spoken in Guernsey See Jersey Eisteddfod. The Jersey Eisteddfod is a cultural festival and competition in Jersey.
The Scottish Gaelic Mod has also been influenced by the Eisteddfod. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. A mod is a festival of Scottish Gaelic song arts and culture Historically the Gaelic word mòd refers to any kind of assembly The Breton Kan ar Bobl as well. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into Kan ar Bobl ( Breton for Song of the people) is a Breton music competition created in 1973, that takes place in Lorient as part of
External links
- National Eisteddfod Festival website in Welsh and English
- Llangollen International Eisteddfod website
- Eisteddfod Australia website
- Jersey Eisteddfod website
- Malad Valley Welsh Festival
Footnotes
- ^ Urdd Gobaith Cymru. Urdd Gobaith Cymru. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ Brooks, Walter Ariel. Eisteddfod: La cumbre de la poesía céltica.. Sitio al Margen. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.
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