eisteddfod (Īstĕħˈvəd, –vôd) [key] [Welsh, = session], Welsh
competitive festival. Contests traditionally are held in all the
arts and crafts, with special emphasis on music and poetry. The
National Eisteddfod is held annually for one week in August,
alternately in the north and the south, but local eisteddfods
are held throughout Wales during the year. A historical
institution (12th cent.), it is important in maintaining
national feeling and preserving the Welsh language and culture
and is enthusiastically supported by the Welsh. Its outstanding
ceremony is the "chairing" of the winning bard. The bardic
assembly (gorsedd) has been a part of the National Eisteddfod
since 1819. The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod,
begun in 1947 at Llangollen, Denbighshire, is held annually in
July, and features choral, instrumental, and folk music and
dance performed by some 4,000 artists. The Columbia Electronic
Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University
Press. All rights reserved. More on eistedd