The Urdd National Eisteddfod ( cy, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Urdd Gobaith Cymru or ''Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd'') is an annual
Welsh-language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has als ...
youth festival of literature, music and performing arts organised by
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Urdd Gobaith Cymru () (known as the Urdd) is a national voluntary youth organisation, which claimed over 56,000 members in 2019 aged between 8 and 25 years old. It provides opportunities for children and young people across Wales to take part ...
. Arguably Europe's largest youth festival,
it is usually held during the last week of May, coinciding with schools' half term holiday. Locations alternate between north and south Wales.
The Eisteddfod consists of competitive
singing
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
recitation
A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience.
Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience.
Academic recitation
In a ...
, art, composition,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...
events for contestants aged between 7 and 24 years. Regional qualifying heats are held in advance around Wales.
Eisteddfod yr Urdd's original motto's is 'Er Mwyn Cymru' (For Wales' Sake).
History
![Urdd National Eisteddfod, Bala 1954](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Urdd_National_Eisteddfod%2C_Bala_1954.jpg)
The first Urdd National Eisteddfod was held in 1929 at
Corwen
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. Historically, Corwen is part of the county of Merionethshire. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llango ...
.
Originally held over two days, the festival has grown in recent times into a week-long celebration of competition and socialising.
The initial festivals, which focused more on the celebration of young people enjoying the Welsh language, saw a few thousand visitors, but in 1935 the Eisteddfod at Carmarthen was heavily reported by the press resulting in 12,000 people attending and increasing the visibility of the event.
The Urdd Eisteddfod has become an annual tradition since its inauguration, but has not been staged on three occasions: during the Second World War, as a result of the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001 and due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The 1940 Eisteddfod, held in
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...
, still went ahead, but coming in the same week as the
Dunkirk evacuation
The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...
, it was a reduced festival, covering all the events in a single day. The Eisteddfod returned after the cessation of hostilities by returning to its roots at Corwen in 1946.
In 2001, Gŵyl yr Urdd replaced the Eisteddfod with competitions and performances taking place at two venues (one in North Wales, one in the South) to minimise travel during the foot-and-mouth crisis
and a virtual edition was staged during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 with all contributions submitted via video and judging conducted on live video calls.
During the 1950s the Eisteddfod began evolving away from the celebration and marching aspect towards more competitive events, mirroring the National Eisteddfod. An art exhibition was introduced in 1955 and a classical concert was included in 1958.
One of the more notable events to occur at the Urdd Eisteddfod took place in 1969 at the
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
event.
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
was invited to attend and he was given a public platform to speak to the crowd. This was the year of his
investiture
Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian k ...
as the Prince of Wales, a role that divided many Welsh people, and around a hundred people stood up and left as the Prince arrived on the stage. The fallout afterwards was also heated, with an editorial in the Welsh-language paper ''
Y Cymro
''Y Cymro'' (, 'The Welshman') is a Welsh-language newspaper, which was first published in 1932. It was founded in Wrexham, and succeeded other newspapers of the same name that had existed during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is Wales's ...
'' angering the then director of the Urdd.
Y Maes
:''See also
Maes (eisteddfod)
Maes (Welsh for ''Field'') is the name commonly given to the site of a Welsh eisteddfod, such as the National Eisteddfod or the Urdd Eisteddfod. All the main events and event venues are located on the Maes.
Background
Central to the Maes is the c ...
''
The Eisteddfod is usually held in a large open field (maes). Accompanying peripheral attractions are designed to help fund the festival and include exhibition stalls, displays and sporting activities. Local and national corporations, retailers and other institutions are invited to participate, notably the Welsh universities.
Competitions
According to the Urdd's own reporting, they estimate that roughly 40,000 children and young adults apply through regional rounds for places in the Eisteddfod competitions.
Of these roughly 15,000 qualify through to take part at the National event.
Preliminary rounds for the performing arts are then conducted on the day to establish a final three competitors who perform in front of the pavilion audience. A single judge then ranks the final three competitors to give the winning order.
![Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd, Caerfyrddin, 1967](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Eisteddfod_Genedlaethol_yr_Urdd%2C_Caerfyrddin%2C_1967.jpg)
In its earlier competitive years, children competed as part of their
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
, and a large scoreboard would tally the points to find an overall winner.
Today the competitors compete for themselves, though their school or college plays a large part. The younger children will compete under their school's name and normally wear their school uniform while performing.
Competitors for the Urdd National Esiteddfod can be split into two main groups. The performing arts; which take place in the Pavilion, and the plastic and compositional arts which are judged prior to the Eisteddfod but are revealed as part of the festival.
Pavilion competitions
The performing arts which are traditionally performed in the pavilion include:
*Cân Actol – A long narrative piece sung and acted in Welsh by a group of 30.
*
Cerdd Dant
' (, or ') is the art of vocal improvisation over a given melody in Welsh musical tradition. It is an important competition in . The singer or (small) choir sings a counter melody over a harp melody.
History
is a unique tradition of singing ly ...
– A choir of up to 12 voices sings in Welsh, accompanied by a harp, in a formulaic sequence of alternating melodies.
*Recitation – A group of up to 12 people recites a Welsh poem.
*Boys' Choir
*Girls' Choir
*dawnsio stryd street dancing
*solo recitation
*solo strings
*solo singing
*s.a.t.b. choir
*solo woodwind
*solo brass
*folk dancing
*solo piano
Other awards
The plastic arts, compositional and literature awards are announced on the pavilion stage at various points throughout the festival. Many of the categories are competed in age ranges; though there are several Medal awards and scholarships which are normally entered by older children and young adults.
Drawing and plastic arts
*Ceramics and pottery
*2D Creative
*3d Creative
*Print
*Computer graphics
*Photography
*Design
*Puppetry
*Textiles
*Drawing monochrome/colour
Individual awards
*Composer Medal
*Art Medal
*Art Scholarship
Venues chosen for the event
![Urdd Eisteddfod 2017 - 29 May - Solo piano competition](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Urdd_Eisteddfod_2017_-_29_May_-_Solo_piano_competition.jpg)
Source:
References
{{Reflist
Eisteddfod
Cultural organisations based in Wales
Music festivals in Wales
Welsh-language music
Clubs and societies in Wales
Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom
Annual events in Wales
Celtic music festivals