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The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: 'Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru') is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic See also An eisteddfod (aɪˈstɛðvəd Welsh ə(iˈstɛðvɔd plural eisteddfodau or eisteddfods) is a Welsh Festival

Contents

Organization

The National Eisteddfod is traditionally held in the first week of August and is conducted entirely in the Welsh language. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The Eisteddfod Act of 1959 allowed local authorities to give financial support to the event. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Many visitors to the National Eisteddfod never go into the Pavillion (background), being able to view the competitions on the big screen (foreground). (Mold, 2007)
Many visitors to the National Eisteddfod never go into the Pavillion (background), being able to view the competitions on the big screen (foreground). (Mold, 2007)
The solar powered car "Gwawr" (Dawn), the Welsh entry in the October 2007 Darwin-Adelaide Trans-Australia competition, is an example of what can be exhibited on the Eisteddfod Maes. (Mold, 2007)
The solar powered car "Gwawr" (Dawn), the Welsh entry in the October 2007 Darwin-Adelaide Trans-Australia competition, is an example of what can be exhibited on the Eisteddfod Maes. (Mold, 2007)

Hundreds of tents, pavilions and little stands are erected in an open space to create the maes (field). The space required for this means that it is rare for the eisteddfod to be in a city or town itself but instead somewhere with more space. The car parking for day visitors alone requires several large fields and many people camp there for the whole week. The festival has a heavy druidic flavour, with the crowning and chairing ceremonies for the victorious poets being attended by bards in flowing white costumes, dancing maidens, trumpet fanfares and a symbolic horn of plenty. gorsedd (ˈgɔrsɛð plural gorseddau, is a community of Bards The word means "throne" in Welsh. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Etymology The word is a Loanword from descendant languages of Proto-Celtic *bardos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gwerh2 However, the heritage of this ceremony is of dubious provenance and owes its existence within the Eisteddfod structure to Iolo Morganwg, whose Gorsedd ceremonies were adopted by the Eisteddfod from 1819. Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling ˈjolo morˈganːug was the Bardic name of Edward Williams ( March 10 1747 &ndash gorsedd (ˈgɔrsɛð plural gorseddau, is a community of Bards The word means "throne" in Welsh. Nevertheless, it is taken very seriously, and an award of a crown or a chair for poetry is a great honour. The Chairing and Crowning ceremonies are the highlight of the week, and are presided over by the Archdruid. The Chairing of the Bard is one of the most important events in the Welsh festival Eisteddfod. The Crowning of the Bard is one of the most important events in an Eisteddfod. The Archdruid is the title used by the presiding official at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Other important awards include the Prose Medal (first introduced in 1966).

If no stone circle is there already, one is created out of Gorsedd stones, usually taken from the local area. Gorsedd Stones are groups of Standing stones constructed for the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Such stone circles are icons all across Wales and signify the Eisteddfod having visited a community. As a cost-saving measure, the 2005 Eisteddfod was the first to replace the creation of a permanent stone circle with a temporary "plastic stone" circle for the druidic ceremonies. This also has the benefit of bringing the Gorsedd ceremonies on to the maes, as they were often held many miles away, unbeknownst to much of the public. The ceremonies may still happen elsewhere if the weather on the maes is not suitable.

One of the most dramatic events in Eisteddfod history was the award of the 1917 chair to the poet Ellis Humphrey Evans, bardic name Hedd Wyn, for the poem Yr Arwr (The Hero). A bardic name is a Pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by Poets and other artists especially those involved in the Hedd Wyn ( 13 January 1887 &ndash 31 July 1917) was a Merionethshire farmer and Welsh language Poet of World The winner was announced, and the crowd waited for the winner to stand up to accept the traditional congratulations before the chairing ceremony, but no winner appeared. It was then announced that Hedd Wyn had been killed the previous month on the battlefield in Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those These events were portrayed in the Academy Award nominated film Hedd Wyn. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Hedd Wyn is a 1992 Welsh-language Welsh film written by Alan Llwyd and directed by Paul Turner.

As well as the main pavilion with the main stage, other fixtures of the Eisteddfod maes are the Pabell Lên (literature pavilion), the Neuadd Ddawns (dance hall), the Pabell Wyddoniaeth a Thechnoleg (science and technology pavilion), the Pabell y Dysgwyr (learners' pavilion), at least one theatre, and hundreds of stondinau (stands and booths), where groups, societies, councils, charities and shops exhibit and sell. Some eisteddfod-goers never go near the main pavilion, spending their time wandering the maes and meeting friends. Since 2004, alcohol has been sold on the maes: prior to this, a no-alcohol policy was in operation. In addition to the main field, there are other venues through the week. Some are fixtures every year, hosting gigs (Maes B), plays and shows (Maes C). Others are more ephemeral or unofficial. Local theatres are likely to time Welsh-language productions for around the time of the eisteddfod, hoping to benefit from the influx of visitors.

The location alternates between north and south Wales. The venue for each national eisteddfod is officially proclaimed a year in advance, at which time the themes and texts for the competitions are published. The actual organisation for the location will have begun a year or more before the official proclamation, and locations are generally known two or three years ahead.

In recent years efforts have been made to try to attract more non-Welsh speakers to the event. This has helped increase takings, and the 2006 Eisteddfod reported a profit of over £100,000, despite costing £2. 8m to stage. The Eisteddfod attracts some 150,000 people annually. The number of visitors over the last three years totalled 147,785 (in 2004), 157,820 (in 2005), and 155,437 (in 2006). [1]

National Eisteddfod venues

References

  1. ^ BBC Arlein | Newyddion | 'Hapus' gyda'r wythnos yn Abertawe
  2. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/welsh/hi/newsid_6250000/newsid_6257200/6257222.stm
  3. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/welsh/hi/newsid_6250000/newsid_6257200/6257222.stm
  4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/welsh/hi/newsid_6250000/newsid_6257200/6257222.stm


External links

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