The closest English equivalent to eisteddfod is "session"; the word is formed from two Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning "sit ", and bod, meaning "be". Instead, the BBC broadcast an Eisteddfod radio programme, and the Chair, Crown and a Literature Medal (as opposed to the usual Prose Medal) were awarded. 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), Maes D (learners' pavilion), at least one theatre, Y Cwt Drama (the drama hut), Tŷ Gwerin (folk house), Y Lle Celf ("the Art Place") and hundreds of stondinau (stands and booths) where groups, societies, councils, charities and shops exhibit and sell. At the end of 2015 the Eisteddfod announced that a brand new pavilion would be on the Maes from 2016 onwards, taking the place of the iconic Pink Pavilion. In form it was not unlike a church, with a broad lofty nave, and aisles on each side, a large platform and raised seats behind for the choir occupying the east end. The design of the Pavilion was in the hands of the local committee who also organised the Eisteddfod itself. Fe ddichon nad oedd y babell lawn can gadarnhad ag y dylasai fod. It was here that the decision was made to establish a national body, to be called The Eisteddfod. It's only comparatively recently that we can refer to the Eisteddfod as a kind of bastion of the Welsh language. Up until 1950, from 1861 to 1950, Welsh at the National Eisteddfod had been fighting for its life against the 'progressives' who feared that the English (Who else? The Eisteddfod has visited all the traditional counties of Wales. The Eisteddfod had been held at Bangor in 1874, and the 1890 committee had followed the same design for the Pavilion, “nas gallasent wneuthur dim yn well na mabwysiadu yr hen gynlluniau a’u heangu.” (“as they could do no better than to adopt the old designs and develop them.”), “Perthyn i’r adeilad y fath ragoriaethau fel nas gallwn roddi canmoliaeth ormodol iddo ef a’r adeiladydd poblogaidd, Mr Evan Williams, Garth, yr hwn sydd wedi gwneyd gwaith nas gellid ei deilyngach. It was Ceiriog, more than anyone, who was responsible for staging that song during the performance in Swansea, and Brinli Richards, the brilliant pianist from Carmarthen, who composed the melody for God Bless the Prince of Wales, and he, and the harpist Pencerdd Gwalia, were both regal figures at the first National Eisteddfodau. To promote such an image, well, you needed a stage or, if you like, a shop window, so you could tell the world that you'd been hard done by, and deserved better. The great Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858 is a highly significant event. The Gunnedah Eisteddfod is the town’s cultural exhibition in Music, Instrumental, Speech & Drama and Dance. In Caernarfon in 1862, he added a completely new section to the Eisteddfod, calling it simply the 'Social Science Section', where all aspects of life in Wales would be discussed, mainly through the medium of English. The main span of the roof is 90 feet long, whilst the two sides span for 35 foot each. We will hear about one of the causes of the troubles – the miners – in another article, but the old enemy, the weather, was blamed for a number of the problems at that year’s Eisteddfod. This attracted much coverage in the press and media, and is an opportunity for us to take a look at the history of the early pavilions. The early National Eisteddfod was colonised by the English language and by the culture of the concert hall. The North Wales Chronicle states, “The first tent was raised in a somewhat exposed situation, and on a damp site; but a storm which took place about two weeks ago made it evident that its position was not the very best which could be chosen, and like men of business the committee decided to move it at once to its present position, though that change cost them something like £30. Sometimes the Eisteddfod would be held in a tent-like building and then during other years it would be held in wooden structures of varying shapes and sizes. I do not like to prophecy too positively on matters of that kind. Gold Medal (National Eisteddfod of Wales), "Druids, bards and rituals: What is an Eisteddfod? It belonged to the famous Dafydd Morgannwg, David Jones, who won this medal for an essay on the history of Glamorganshire. [33] Occasionally the Eisteddfod has been held in England, although the last occasion was in 1929.[9]. Ond rywfodd, pan godir adeilad nad oes ond wythnos o bridles arno, fe geisir ei wneyd yn y modd rhataf. Its size, we reiterate, was its weakness.” ). Every aspect possible: her religion and morals, her education, her industries, with the emphasis firmly on improving living standards in Wales. In that eisteddfod two choirs came face to face - the Cymdeithas Cwm Tawe choir, conducted by Evander Griffiths, and the Aberdare Choral Society under Silas Evans: the first great contest. Traditionally the Eisteddfod venue alternates between north and south Wales; the decision to hold both the 2014 and 2015 Eisteddfodau in South Wales was thus seen as controversial,[32] but the decision was later reversed and Montgomeryshire named as host county for 2015. Ei mawredd, meddwn etto, oedd ei hanfantais.”, (“Regarding the building, we have a word of praise and also a word of condemnation. The Pavilion has been the focal point of the Eisteddfod Maes for over 150 years. The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru) is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. A brief history of the Eisteddfod The first Eisteddfod was held in 1176, under the patronage of Lord Rhys, in his castle in Cardigan. In 1940, during the Second World War, the Eisteddfod was not held, for fear that it would be a bombing target. The Eisteddfod attracts some 160,000 people annually. There is also a Welsh-learners area called Maes D. These efforts has helped increase takings, and the 2006 Eisteddfod reported a profit of over £100,000, despite costing £2.8m to stage. Torcalonus iawn oedd deall fod un foneddiges wedi syrthio yn aberth i gynddaredd yr elfenau.”, (“The elements were as though they were working together to keep people away from the meetings and to destroy their enjoyment when they’d arrived. The pavilion had a mixed reaction from Baner ac Amserau Cymru: “Am y babell, yn mae genym air o ganmoliaeth, a gair o gondemniad hefyd, i’w ddywedyd ynglŷn â hi. One of them is this striking medal from the first National Eisteddfod in Aberdare in 1861. Amcangyfrifir fod ynddi le i 7500 o bersonau mewn oed neu 8000 o gynulleidfa gymysg eistedd yn gysurus. From the great Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858 we move to the 1860 eisteddfod in Denbigh. [31], The venue is officially proclaimed a year in advance, at which time the themes and texts for the competitions are published. History. A Brief History. This 1862 medal is Owen Alaw's. “The pavilion in which the eisteddfod is to be held is a really magnificent structure erected in the Grove Park at a cost of about £600. ", "The Abergavenny Eisteddfod | National Museum Wales", "The Great Llangollen Eisteddfod, 1858 | National Museum Wales", "Lleoliad yr Eisteddfod: Eisteddfod Radio", "Hundreds parade for 2018 National Eisteddfod proclamation", "National Eisteddfod considers ditching the Maes in 2018", "How another crisis a century ago postponed the National Eisteddfod for the only other time in its history", "Eisteddfod work pays off with £4,000 profit", "Eisteddfod needs more cash ahead of Bala event", "National Eisteddfod in Wrexham makes £90k loss", "EISTEDDFOD: Festival 'raised valleys' profile, "National Eisteddfod 2015: The results from Friday", "National Eisteddfod's iconic pink pavilion to be replaced", "National Eisteddfod 2016 was a 'cultural and financial success, "The reason why National Eisteddfod 2019 made loss of more than £150,000", "The Gentle Good wins the Welsh Language Album of the Year prize", "Swnami win this year's Welsh Language Album of the Year", "Bendith win the Welsh Language Album of the Year Award", "Mellt yn ennill Albwm Cymraeg y Flwyddyn", "Ceredigion National Eisteddfod postponed for a year | National Eisteddfod", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Eisteddfod_of_Wales&oldid=980330699, Articles with Welsh-language sources (cy), Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 September 2020, at 22:21. The scene of the debris was most discouraging to those who had bestowed so much attention upon the building, and their hopes for a time entirely disappeared. And has any conductor ever been given trumpets which can be heard in such extremes? Nid ydyw Pafiliwn Caernarfon ond pitw bychanaidd o’r gyferbynu â chruglwyth anferth pabell Pont-y-pridd. In my opinion there's one overriding reason for this. In 2014 the Eisteddfod began to award a Welsh-language Album of the Year (Albwm Cymraeg Y Flwyddyn) during its Maes B event.[34]. It is also worth quoting the ‘Our Special Reporter’s next paragraph, as it not only describes the interior of the Pavilion, but is also a wonderful example of the journalistic style of the period: “ The pavilion is decorated with mottoes, and the ‘Cof am a fu’ tablets are fixed one on each side of the platform. [13][14][15] The 2019 Eisteddfod in Llanrwst returned to the traditional Maes. In 1863, too, you see for the first time a medal being won for choral singing. Not even MABON himself has this ability – or CYNONFARDD either, with the unrivalled control of his voice. This body would have an Executive Committee called the Council, whose members would be elected. They were big eisteddfodau, raising a pavilion to seat between eight and ten thousand people every year, the trains bringing the crowds in their thousands to North and South, and the great choirs, of course, followed everywhere in those days, exactly as rugby and soccer teams would be in later years.