Eisteddfod

An eisteddfod (Welsh: [ə(i)ˈstɛðvɔd]; plural eisteddfodau [ə(i)stɛðˈvɔdaɨ]) is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. 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. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. The closest English equivalent to eisteddfod is "session"; the word is formed from two Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning "sit", and bod, meaning "be".

The date of the first Eisteddfod is a matter of much debate among scholars, but boards for the judging of poetry definitely existed in Wales from at least as early as the twelfth century, and it is likely that the ancient Celtic bards had formalized ways of judging poetry as well. The first Eisteddfod can be traced back to 1176, under the auspices of Lord Rhys, at his castle in Cardigan. There he held a grand gathering to which were invited poets and musicians from all over the country. A chair at the Lord's table was awarded to the best poet and musician, a tradition that prevails in the modern day National Eisteddfod.

The earliest large scale Eisteddfod that can be proven beyond all doubt to have taken place, however, was the Carmarthen Eisteddfod, which took place in 1451. The next recorded large-scale eisteddfod was held in Caerwys in 1568. 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. 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 interest in the Welsh arts declined, the standard of the main eisteddfod became more informal. In 1789, Thomas Jones organised an eisteddfod in Corwen where for the first time the public were admitted. The success of this event led to a revival of interest in Welsh literature and music. "The Gentleman's Magazine" of October, 1792 reported on the revival of the eisteddfod tradition. The first true National Eisteddfod organised by the Council was held in Denbigh in 1860 on a pattern that continues to the present day.

The most important eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, the largest festival of music and poetry in Europe. 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. Competitors typically number 6,000 or more, and overall attendances generally exceed 150,000 visitors.

Another important eisteddfod in the calendar is 'Eisteddfod Yr Urdd', or the Youth Eisteddfod. It involves Welsh youth aged 7 to 24 in a week of competition in singing, recitation, dancing, acting and musicianship during the summer half-term school holiday. The event is claimed to be Europe's premier youth arts festival.

The International Eisteddfod is held annually in Llangollen, Denbighshire each year in July. 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. It was set up in 1947 and begins with a message of peace. In 2004, it was (unsuccessfully) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Smaller-scale local eisteddfodau are held throughout Wales. One of the best known is the Abergavenny Eisteddfod (Welsh: Eisteddfod Y Fenni). Schools hold eisteddfodau as competitions within the school: a popular time for this is on Saint David's Day.

Guessing Game.

Split into two teams and take turns in answering questions. Get as many points as possible!

Ø What do the following Roman names refer to: Albion, Caledonia, Cambria, Hiberia?

Ø What nation has a prefix “Mac” or “Mc” in family names?

Ø What does this prefix mean?

Ø Give five examples of such family names.

Ø What nation has a prefix “O” in their family names?

Ø Guess what nations got the following nicknames: Jock, Paddy or Mick, Dai or Teffy.

Ø Name traditional Scottish clothes.

Ø Are kilts worn by women or by men only?

Ø What is Eisteddfod?

Ø What nation traditionally plays the bagpipe? The harp?

Ø What nation is known for their singing ability?

Ø What nation is believed to be “too careful with money”?

Ø What nation’s patron saints are St. George, St. Patric, St. David, St. Andrew? What can you remember about each of them?

Ø Name the plant-symbols of all the four nations.

Ø Describe the flags of all the four nations.

Ø What is the Union Jack?

Mark the questions that made both teams puzzled and find out the answers to them at home.

Match these historic events with their dates, putting them in the logical order and copy them into your notebook to remember.

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 1549