National Eisteddfod of Wales

National Eisteddfod Of Wales
Established	1861
Website	http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/

The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru) is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.

Organisation

A view of the Pafiliwn (Pavilion)

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 National Eisteddfod is traditionally held in the first week of August and the competitions are all held in the Welsh language. The Eisteddfod Act of 1959 allowed local authorities to give financial support to the event. 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 but instead it is held somewhere with more space. Car parking for day visitors alone requires several large fields, and many people camp on the site 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. However, the provenance of this ceremony is dubious: it owes its existence within the Eisteddfod structure to Iolo Morganwg, whose Gorsedd ceremonies were adopted by the Eisteddfod from 1819. 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 highlights of the week, and are presided over by the Archdruid. Other important awards include the Prose Medal (first introduced in 1937).

If no stone circle is there already, one is created out of Gorsedd stones, usually taken from the local area. These 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 use a temporary "plastic stone" circle for the druidic ceremonies instead of a permanent stone circle. 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 be held elsewhere if the weather at 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). 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. These events were portrayed in the Academy Award nominated film Hedd Wyn.

As well as the main pavilion with the main stage, there are other venues through the week. Some are fixtures every year, hosting gigs (Maes B), plays and shows (Maes C). Other fixtures of the 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, but spend their time wandering the maes and meeting friends. Since 2004, alcohol has been sold on the maes: previously there was a no-alcohol policy. 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 organisation for the location will have begun a year or more earlier, and locations are generally known two or three years ahead.

In recent years efforts have been made 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 160,000 people annually. The number of visitors to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 events were respectively 147,785; 157,820; and 155,437. The National Eisteddfod in Cardiff drew record crowds, with over 160,000 visitors attending.

National Eisteddfod venues

1861 - Aberdâr - Cynon valley 1880 - Caernarfon 1881 - Merthyr Tydfil 1882 - Denbigh 1883 - Cardiff 1884 - Liverpool, England 1885 - Aberdâr - Cynon Valley 1886 - Caernarfon 1887 - London, England 1888 - Wrexham 1889 - Brecon 1890 - Bangor 1891 - Swansea 1892 - Rhyl 1893 - Pontypridd 1894 - Caernarfon 1895 - Llanelli 1896 - Llandudno 1897 - Newport 1898 - Blaenau Ffestiniog 1899 - Cardiff 1900 - Liverpool, England 1901 - Merthyr Tydfil 1902 - Bangor 1903 - Llanelli 1904 - Rhyl 1905 - Mountain Ash (Aberpennar) - Cynon Valley 1906 - Caernarfon 1907 - Swansea 1908 - Llangollen 1909 - London, England 1910 - Colwyn Bay 1911 - Carmarthen 1912 - Wrexham 1913 - Abergavenny 1914 - Not held 1915 - Bangor 1916 - Aberystwyth 1917 - Birkenhead, England 1918 - Neath 1919 - Corwen 1920 - Barry 1921 - Caernarfon 1922 - Ammanford 1923 - Mold 1924 - Pontypool 1925 - Pwllheli 1926 - Swansea 1927 - Holyhead 1928 - Treorchy 1929 - Liverpool-England 1930 - Llanelli 1931 - Bangor 1932 - Aberavon 1933 - Wrexham 1934 - Neath 1935 - Caernarfon 1936 - Fishguard 1937 - Machynlleth 1938 - Cardiff 1939 - Denbigh 1940 - Eisteddfod Radio, Bangor 1941 - Old Colwyn 1942 - Cardigan 1943 - Bangor 1944 - Llandybie 1945 - Rhosllannerchrugog 1946 - Mountain Ash (Aberpennar) - Cynon Valley 1947 - Colwyn Bay

The 1958 winner in Ebbw Vale with the Archdruid. 1948 - Bridgend 1949 - Dolgellau 1950 - Caerphilly 1951 - Llanrwst 1952 - Aberystwyth 1953 - Rhyl 1954 - Ystradgynlais 1955 - Pwllheli 1956 - Aberdâr - Cynon Valley 1957 - Llangefni 1958 - Ebbw Vale 1959 - Caernarfon 1960 - Cardiff 1961 - Rhosllannerchrugog 1962 - Llanelli 1963 - Llandudno 1964 - Swansea 1965 - Newtown 1966 - Aberavon 1967 - Bala 1968 - Barry 1969 - Flint 1970 - Ammanford 1971 - Bangor 1972 - Haverfordwest 1973 - Ruthin 1974 - Carmarthen 1975 - Criccieth 1976 - Cardigan 1977 - Wrexham 1978 - Cardiff 1979 - Caernarfon 1980 - Gowerton - Lliw Valley 1981 - Machynlleth 1982 - Swansea 1983 - Llangefni 1984 - Lampeter 1985 - Rhyl 1986 - Fishguard 1987 - Porthmadog 1988 - Newport 1989 - Llanrwst 1990 - Rhymney Valley, 1991 - Mold 1992 - Aberystwyth 1993 - Builth Wells 1994 - Neath 1995 - Abergele 1996 - Llandeilo 1997 - Bala 1998 - Pencoed, near Bridgend 1999 - Llanbedrgoch, Anglesey 2000 - Llanelli 2001 - Denbigh 2002 - St David's 2003 - Meifod, near Welshpool 2004 - Newport 2005 - Faenol Estate, near Bangor 2006 - Felindre, Swansea 2007 - Mold 2008 - Cardiff 2009 - Bala 2010 - Blaenau Gwent[1][2][3] 2011 - Wrexham[2] 2012 - Vale of Glamorgan[2] 2013 - Denbighshire[2] 2014 - Carmarthenshire[2] 2015 - Monmouthshire[2]

The decision to hold both the 2014 and 2015 Eisteddfodau in South Wales, thus breaking the usual pattern of alternate hosting by North and South Wales, is seen as a potentially controversial move by some traditionalists.^[2]

References

1. ^ Delight over Eisteddfod 2010 plans at WalesOnline News, 14 August 2008
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} (Welsh) BBC Arlein | Newyddion | Prifwyl: Torri'r traddodiad symud? At BBC Wales, 1 July 2007
3. ^ Eisteddfod 2010 at the National Eisteddfod website

External links

• English National Eisteddfod website
• Eisteddfod mini site on BBC Online
• "Past National Eisteddfod Locations". http://www.eisteddfod.org.uk/english/content.php?nID=55. 
• T. Glynne Davies Crowned Bard 1951
• Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Llanrwst 1951