Eisteddfod

Q. What does eisteddfod mean

A. Literally a 'session' from the Welsh verb eistedd, meaning 'to sit'. The idea is that both audience and artist sit throughout the performance. The proper Welsh plural is eisteddfodau, but it is acceptable in English to say eisteddfods.

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Q. So, what is it

A. Essentially a folk festival with prizes for the best performances, eisteddfods originated in the traditions of court bards of medieval times. Originally made up of performances by musicians - especially harpists - and poets, they may now include prose, drama and art. Poetry remains the central event, however, with the investiture of the poet being the pinnacle of each fair.

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Q. When do they take place

A. The main event is the National Eisteddfod, held every summer alternately in North and South Wales, but other, regional events, take place all over the country.

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Q. Is this some event rooted in a misty Celtic past

A. Kind of. The National Eisteddfod began in 1880, when the National Eisteddfod Association was formed and charged with the responsibility of staging an annual festival. With the exception of 1914 and 1940, this has been successfully achieved, though the Cardiff event in 2001 was cancelled owing to the foot and mouth epidemic.

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However, some sources suggest that the National Eisteddfod can be traced back to 1176 when the first eisteddfod was reputedly held under the auspices of Lord Rhys at his castle in Cardigan. This took the form of a grand gathering to which poets and musicians from all over Wales were invited. A chair at the Lord's table was awarded to the best poet and musician.

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Q. What happened after that

A. After 1176 many eisteddfods were held under the patronage of Welsh gentry and nobility all over the country. The assembly at Carmarthen of 1451 is especially famous for establishing the arrangement of the strict metres of Welsh poetry in forms that are still authoritative today. By the 17th century formal eisteddfods disappeared, though poetry remained a popular art and a form of eisteddfod survived in informal gatherings at which poets met to compose impromptu verses

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In the 18th century, when local eisteddfods were revived, it was apparent that the complicated craftsmanship of bardic versification had survived amazingly well among the farmers and workingmen of Wales. The continued growth and dominating influence of the eisteddfod on Welsh poetry and traditional music led to the formation of the Association in the late 19th century.

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Q. What did the bards rhyme about

A. The subjects were, for the most part, celebrations of Welsh history and the Welsh countryside, biblical subjects or abstract subjects, such as almsgiving. Such poetry tended to be impersonal and resulted in lengthy, descriptive compositions in which form was the major concern and content and emotional depth were secondary.

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However, with World War I and the Great Depression of the 1930s, in which Welsh industry and agriculture were particularly badly hit, many Welsh poets turned to more personal and relevant poetry, a trend which continues to this day.

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Q. And finally

A. The National Eisteddfod is without question the premier cultural event for traditional Welsh arts, bringing performers from all over the world, and particularly from other Celtic countries, especially Brittany. Eisteddfods now take place wherever there is a significant number of people of Welsh descent, from Ontario to Brisbane, in which a shared cultural heritage is celebrated and the language of their fathers kept alive.

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See also the articles on the Welsh and Cornish languages

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For more on Phrases & Sayings click here

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By Simon Smith