Welsh culture

Welsh Culture

The population of Wales is overwhelmingly white European . Welsh people have fair skin and hair , and are known for their singing voices Choirs are a large part of the country 's artistic and social environment . The population is heavily distributed in the southern half of the country , near Swansea and the capitol city , Cardiff . Wales is a country on the European continent , located on the western side of the island of Great Britain . As one of the four nations under the United Kingdom of Great Britain , Wales is not a

member of the European Union The country is technically a principality , though its people , the Welsh generally ignore this title due to the fact that the prince has no active role in the nation 's political affairs (Means 1

A Brief Examination of Welsh History

The people of Wales place great value on legends and mythology These elements are highly visible in education and the arts , especially The national symbol of Wales is the Red Dragon , which appears on the Welsh flag . Wales is often associated with Arthurian legends and medieval culture (Means 5 ) Being a Protestant nation , Wales celebrates the same Christian holidays as the rest of Great Britain However , there are certain events called festivals , which are specific to Wales . A festival called Eisteddfod has been celebrated for centuries . The day is arranged as a competition between poets and musicians , who perform for large crowds . A group of people called the Gored of Bards is chosen to award the competitors with prizes for their artistic contributions to the festival (Means 3

Examining Welsh Culture in Present Times

The number of Welsh speaking people has declined since 1901 . A man by the name of Hywel conveys that he has been conversing in the language of his fatherland since the age of eleven . Today , at the age of 57 , he believes that any endeavor to revitalize the language would be great . Halpert expresses a quote from Hywel , We 've got to keep it It 's part of our heritage , isn 't it ? Even if we don 't use it . I 'm not a nationalist , but I 'm all for keeping the language (Halpert 3 ) To a certain extent the reintroduction of the Welsh vernacular actually separates the country . Jobs , such as news broadcasting , or working in museums demand that they speak Welsh . This fact generates it own problems , because people who don 't speak Welsh are of the opinion that they are being discriminated against . The majority of the population go on with their lives for the most part unaffected , nevertheless , they do agree that political and cultural changes may leave a deep impression At the present time , Wales ' individuality , and whether they will prevail are left up to the Welsh to decide . The lasting effects of the Assembly and the attempts to regain the nation 's cultural heritage have yet to be brought into light . However , as each St . David 's Day draws near , the citizens of Wales pay their respects to their national honor , providing that at least , Welsh loyalty blossoms

Examining Welsh Religion

Ireland has Saint Patrick , Scotland claims Saint Andrew , and England has Saint George . Wales reveres its patron , Saint David , whose voice is said to have thundered out the Gospel message , his robes swirling , as he waded up to his chin in icy waters as penance . The sixth-century monk , abbot , and bishop was one of the earliest missionaries to spread Christianity among the pagan Celtic tribes of western Europe , and the Welsh cultural connection to his legacy runs deep (Halpert 1

St . David 's feast day goes back to 1120 , when he was canonized by Pope Calixtus II on March the 1st , which is now embraced in their church calendar . In the present day , spirited singing , dancing and reciting galas take place throughout Wales . The country even sends male choirs to the United States , to entertain and rejoice on St . David 's day

But not everything is hunky-dory in regards to Welsh religion In an influential article James (2005 ) reports : The Cardiff City Council cancelled a civic reception for internationally renowned evangelist Luis Palau because of his extreme evangelical beliefs ' The cancellation was prompted by Welsh Assembly Government Member Lorraine Barrett 's attack on Palau for his stance on homosexuality and other religions To fund such an event for a figure who holds extreme views on sensitive social issues is , in my opinion , a terrible way of spending public money ' Barrett says , and then adds , I am very concerned at some of the views espoused by Mr . Palau , which are very narrow and critical of anyone who does not follow his evangelical beliefs . I think he is a right-wing reactionary individual . I also think it is dodgy mixing religion and politics in this way . I think he and people like Billy Graham exploit vulnerable people

Examining Welsh Customs of Today

There are many points of leisure pursuits for tourists who want to explore Wales , consisting of the world renowned Stonehenge , as well as 100 castles , and the remains of Roman forts and many museums Additional lures comprise of historical railways that were a part of the mining industry , back in the day . In a commentary by Means (2006 , he articulates : The Swansea Festival of Music and Arts is Wales ' largest public arts festival . The performances include music , poetry , drama dance , and literature readings . Although it is deeply rooted in traditional form of art , Wales is considered very modern in terms of its contemporary art and music . There are as many famous rock bands from Wales as there are also choirs

So as far as institutions and customs go , what are the Welsh 's favorite pastime ? Football (soccer ) and cricket are just a few of the practiced sports in Wales . But the most widely held spectator sport without a doubt , would have to be rugby . However , if full contact games aren 't your cup of tea , Wales also indulges in other activities , such as : mountain climbing , hiking , recreational fishing and hunting

Being a Protestant nation , Wales celebrates the same Christian holidays as the rest of Great Britain . However , there are certain events , called festivals which are specific to Wales . As already mentioned earlier in this thesis , a festival called the Eisteddfod has been celebrated for centuries . The day is arranged as a competition between poets and musicians , who perform for large crowds (Means 3 As stated earlier in this dissertation the patron saint of Wales is Saint David . His day is commemorated on March the 1st . In honor of him the Welsh wear leeks on their heads or in their hats . Leeks stand for a symbol of Welsh custom . The practice comes from superstition and folklore regarding the remembrance of Saint David . Welsh customs have also induced choir music , as one of the nation 's renowned art forms . In fact , The Welsh Opera House stages vocal performances and dramatic works on a nightly basis . As far as education goes , the significance of the national tongue is stressed in Wales ' education systems . It is also mandatory that all youths between the ages of 5 to 16 must attend school . The literacy rate in Wales is an impressive 99 percent

In regards to food , most of Welsh cuisine is the creation of the nation 's agriculture . Apart from the typical British diet , which includes lamb , pork and poultry , Wales offers some very unique dishes such as Cawl , a soup made solely of vegetables , and laver bread , which is prepared from seaweed . The most popular beverage in Wales is their beer , which is brewed in many of the Welsh towns and municipalities

When it comes to art and entertainment a common nickname for Wales is Gwiady y Gan ' which when translated , signifies , Land of Song ' This is largely due to the fact that Wales has contributed a large amount of music and poetry to popular culture . Welsh poems are some of the most significant in Western writing . Some of the most noteworthy Welsh poets comprise of Geoffrey of Monmouth , who composed the ancient legendary poems of King Arthur , as well as the twentieth-century poet Dylan Thomas . In present times , Wales ' world of arts and entertainment have given us such entertainers as singer Tom Jones , actor Anthony Hopkins , and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones

In conclusion , Wales ' ethnicity is varied to say the least All divisions of the arts are well represented in Wales ' two languages The country offers galleries , theatres , museums , concert halls and libraries . Wales also hosts and supports many cultural activities From the conventional to the contemporary from the deep-seated to the cutting edge from an inward-looking search for countrywide distinctiveness and art-forms to the increasing influence and presence of multi-ethnic ideas and practices , Wales has so much to offer . At the risk of sounding like a tourism ad , Wales is a country that you just have to visit . It `s surrounded with countless amounts of fascinations such as the Ewe-Phoria , Corwen , which bestows an enthralling insight into the work of the shepard and his sheepdog . Another allure is the 7 .25 mile long Talyllyn Railway , which opened in 1865 . And last but not least , as a tourist , another welcoming attraction is the Trefiw Woollen Mills , which manufactures traditional Welsh tapestry . So , the next time you plan a vacation , give Wales and its ' people a chance to astound you You won 't regret it .Works Cited

Halpert . Jane H . On Being Welsh ' World I Mar . 2001 : 152

James . Rob . Extreme ' Orthodoxy ' Christianity Today Jan . 2005 22-22

Means . Richard . Our World : Wales 2006 : 1-6

Sapiro . Michael . Somewhere Beyond Time ' National Geographic Traveler May

2006 : 94-103

Patton . Allyson . Hands Across the Sea : St . David 's Societies British Heritage . Jul

2006 : 10-56 PAGE

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