An eisteddfod (; plural eisteddfodau ) is a Welsh festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such a meeting of Welsh artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan in 1176 but, with the decline of the bardic tradition, it fell into abeyance. The present-day format owes much to an eighteenth-century revival arising out of a number of informal eisteddfodau. The closest English equivalent to eisteddfod is "session"; the word is formed from two Welsh morphemes: eistedd, meaning "sit", and bod, meaning "be".
Part of a series on the |
Culture of Wales |
---|
History |
People |
Languages
|
Traditions
|
Mythology and folklore
|
Cuisine
|
Festivals
|
Religion |
Art |
Literature
|
Music and performing arts
|
Media
|
Sport
|
Monuments
|
Symbols
|
Culture portal Wales portal |
Read more about Eisteddfod: History, Eisteddfod Revival, The National Eisteddfod, Urdd National Eisteddfod, The International Eisteddfod, Other Eisteddfodau, Eisteddfodau in The United States, Australia, Argentina, Non-Welsh Specific Eisteddfodau, Footnotes