Celebrating Wales

Wales is one of Europe’s smallest and most fascinating countries with a culture and heritage that is proudly distinct from its neighbours and one that is celebrated each year with the Eisteddfod, one of the oldest cultural celebrations in Europe.

Wales is often mistaken for a region of Britain, but is actually a country in its own right, that internationally speaking, is still relatively undiscovered. If you were to look at a map of Britain and Ireland, Wales is that landmass to the west, stretching out towards Ireland, almost directly opposite Dublin. To the east, the border with England runs from the English cites of Bristol and Liverpool. Wales covers an area of just 8,000 square miles, smaller than Massachusetts, but Wales packs a whole lot in to a relatively small space. The country boasts some of the most breath taking scenery in the British Isles, with three national parks, several designated areas of natural beauty and a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Welsh are a proud Celtic nation, with historic and cultural links to Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany and like its Celtic cousins, Wales has a lyrical language of its own. The Welsh Language is one of the oldest surviving languages in Europe and is what sets the Welsh apart from the English, Irish and Scottish.

Welsh is spoken by some 500,000 people, It's a language you'll encounter in the road signs throughout Wales, all of which are bilingual and if you go to the rural areas of the north west or mid-Wales you're likely to encounter it in everyday conversations between the Welsh. To an outsider, Welsh or Cymraeg may seem as familiar as Martian, only a little harder to pronounce! Its collection of double consonants, unusual letter combinations and an apparent shortage of vowels make Welsh a difficult language to grasp at first. Try pronouncing the name of the town below for starters!

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

The ancient language and culture of Wales is best experienced at an eisteddfod during summer time each year. The eisteddfod is a celebration of Welsh culture and language through, song, verse, dance and music, dating back centuries. The first eisteddfod was in 1176 when Lord Rhys ap Gruffydd held a festival of poetry and song, drawing bards from all over Wales to his castle in Cardigan.

Today there are three main eisteddfodau (plural of Eisteddfod) held in Wales. The most prominent is the National Eisteddfod of Wales, held in the first week of August, at different venues, alternating between North Wales and South Wales. The National Eisteddfod was established in 1880 and has run each year since, with the exception of 1914 and 1940. The event is held entirely in Welsh as poets and singers compete before the Gorsedd of Bards and the Archdruid.

Another important festival is the Eisteddfod Yr Urdd, or the youth Eisteddfod, which brings together school children and young adults from all over Wales for a week of singing, dancing and musicianship, during the summer school holidays. The Eisteddfod Yr Urdd is the largest youth festival in Europe and is held at a different location in Wales each year.

The third is the International Eisteddfod held annually during the second week of July in Llangollen. The International Eisteddfod is one of the largest festivals of folk arts in the world drawing choirs, folk dancers and other groups from all over the world to share in their national folk traditions.

A number of smaller scale eisteddfodau are held throughout Wales and local heats are held throughout the year. Outside Wales, eisteddfodau are held in far-flung places that large numbers of Welsh people emigrated to during the 19th century and can be found in Australia and Malad City Idaho, US.

The eisteddfodau are a great way of experiencing a little ‘Croeso’ or Welsh hospitality and a great time to visit Wales and celebrate along with the Welsh people.