WELSH CULTURE

5 min readNov 16, 2023

Welsh Language

The Welsh language is a core part of Wales, the Welsh language (or cymraeg, is a Celtic language still spoken by about 29% of the population of Wales. It has a rich history spanning over 1400 years, evolving from primitive Welsh to old Welsh, middle Welsh, modern Welsh. The Welsh government has implemented policies to promote the use of Welsh government has implemented policies to promote the use of Welsh, including the establishment of a Land Division to unlock the penetration of public land for development

Welsh Education

Welsh-Medium education is a form of educating in Wales where pupils are taught through the medium of Welsh, with English being taught as the second language. The Welsh government has a 10-year plan for developing the Welsh language workforce in schools to realize their vision in Cymraeg 2050

Welsh Dragon

The Welsh Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch), is a symbol of Wales and appears on the national flag. It is said to represent the struggle between the Welsh (red dragon) and the English (white dragon) according to the 12th Century legend of Merlin

Welsh Leek

The leek is a national symbol of Wales. According to legends, Wales’ patron Saint David told the army to war a leek to distinguish themselves from the enemy, this tradition carried through to the hundred years war of the 13th and 14th centuries when Welsh archers were a key weapon in battle

Welsh Daffodil

The daffodil is another symbol of Wales and is often worn during celebrations such as St David’s Day. The daffodil became the national flower of Wales in the 19th century and was first advocateed to be a symbol by David Lloyd George

Traditional Welsh Costume

The traditional Welsh costume, worn by rural women in Wales back in the 19th century is a tall black hat, a shawl worn around the shoulders, and a Pais a Betgwn — a puffy petticoat-like skirt (in Welsh, the pais) and a gown (also known as bedgown — or Betgwn)

Welsh Law

Welsh law, or Cyriah Hywel, was a form of Celtic law with many similarities to the Brehon law of Ireland and particularly the customs and terminology of the Britons of Strathclyde. Today, the Welsh Government has established a new division to further enhance its mission to increase the number of new homes built across Wales.

Welsh Land Division

In medieval Wales, land was divided into secular divisions known as commutes (Welsh: cwmwd). Each commute was a collection of townships or trees, with a court for local disputes.

Eisteddfod Tradition

The Eisteddfod is a festival with competitions for music, poetry, and other art forms in Wales. The National Eisteddfod is the largest and oldest celebration of Welsh culture, unique throughout Europe as each year it visits a different area of Wales.

Welsh History

The history of Wales is a rich tapestry of power, culture, and change. It begins with evidence of Neanderthal presence from at least 230,000 years ago, while Homo sapiens arrived by about 31,000 BC. Continuous habitation by modern humans dates from the period after the end of the last ice age around 9000 BC.

During the Iron Age, the region, like all of Britain south of the Firth of Forth, adopted a Celtic culture with a common Brittonic language. The Romans began their conquest of Britain in AD 43, first campaigned in what is now northeast Wales in 48 against the Deceangli, and gained total control of the region with their defeat of the Ordovices in 79.

The Romans departed from Britain in the 5th century, opening the door for the Anglo-Saxon settlement. Thereafter, Welsh culture began to splinter into a number of kingdoms. The Welsh people were formed with English encroachment that effectively separated them from the other surviving Brittonic-speaking peoples in the early middle ages.

In the post-Roman period, a number of Welsh kingdoms formed in present-day Wales, including Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth, Brycheiniog, Ergyng, and Gwent. As a country, Wales began with Henry VIII’s Act of Union in 1536. Before that time, Wales had been a loose collection of independent kingdoms and lordships with influxes and incursions from Europe.

The Welsh today is descended from many people. Celtic tribes from Europe came to settle the whole of the British Isles around 500–100 BC, alongside the original Iron Age population. It was their language which sowed the seeds of the modern Welsh language. Roman and Saxon invasions pushed the original Britons into the land area of Wales, where they became the Welsh people.

Inward and outward migration has added diverse new layers of population across history. The origins of the Red Dragon flag, or “y Draig Goch”, could date back to the Roman period, when the dragon (or draco) was used by Roman military cohorts at the time of the Emperor Trajan. After the Romans left, the Red Dragon remained as a key emblem of Wales.

The word Wales is a variation on a common word used hundreds of years ago by the Anglo-Saxons to mean foreigners or outsiders. Variations of the same word can be found in other countries, such as Walloon part of Belgium. Since this word is one given to the principality by the Anglo-Saxons rather than by ourselves, it could be argued that Cymru (meaning friends/companions) is a preferable one to Wales.

The history of Wales is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of its people. From the ancient Celts to the Romans, from the Anglo-Saxons to the Normans, each wave of settlers has left its mark on the landscape and culture of Wales. Today, Wales is a vibrant nation with a rich heritage and a promising future.

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WELSH CULTURE

Written by Strafemaster 69