Eisteddfod
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An eisteddfod (IPA: /aɪˈstɛðvəd/, Welsh /ə(i)ˈstɛðvɔd/; plural eisteddfodau /-stɛð'vɔdaɨ/ or eisteddfods) 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 word eisteddfod is derived from the Welsh word eistedd, meaning "sit".
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[edit] The National Eisteddfod
The most important eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, held annually in the first week of August and usually alternating between North and South Wales, and taking place entirely in the Welsh language.
[edit] 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.
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.
[edit] The International Eisteddfod
Another Eisteddfod is the International Eisteddfod, held annually in Llangollen. 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 nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (unsuccessful) by Terry Waite, who has been actively involved with the eisteddfod.
[edit] 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.
Malad City, Idaho also hosts a small Eisteddfod around the first part of July. Malad City claims the largest, per-capita, concentration of people of Welsh ancestry outside of Wales [2]. Their Eisteddfod began with Welsh pioneers to the Malad Valley in the late 1800's, but stopped with the outbreak of World War I. In 2004 they reinstated this celebration calling it the Malad Valley Welsh Festival.
[edit] Australia
Eisteddfods (Australian plural) have also been adopted by Australian culture. Much like the Welsh original, Eisteddfods are competitions that involve testing individuals for singing, dancing, acting and musicianship. However it is often a competition reserved for children at primary or secondary school. Often the prize for such an event is 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 its yearly competition. Eisteddfods in past years has suffered controversy with some parents being overly zealous and occasionally violent when their child loses an event.
[edit] Argentina
Eisteddfodau have been held since the initial Welsh settlement in Argentina in the late nineteenth century. 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. An annual eisteddfod is also held in Trevelín, in the Andes. [1]
[edit] National Eisteddfod venues
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[edit] External links
- National Eisteddfod Festival website in Welsh and English
- Llangollen International Eisteddfod website
- Eisteddfod Australia website
- Jersey Eisteddfod website
- Malad Valley Welsh Festival
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Brooks, Walter Ariel. Eisteddfod: La cumbre de la poesía céltica.. Sitio al Margen. Retrieved on October 4, 2006.
