Culture of Wales
The culture of Wales encompasses the Welsh language, customs, festivals, music, art, cuisine, mythology, history, and politics.
Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and the daffodil.
[4] While Rhodri the Great in the 9th century was the first ruler to dominate a large portion of Wales,[5] it was not until 1055 that Gruffydd ap Llywelyn united the individual Welsh kingdoms and began to annex parts of England.
Gruffydd was killed, possibly in crossfire by his own men, on 5 August 1063 while Harold Godwinson sought to engage him in battle.
[11] After his death, King Henry III of England intervened to prevent Dafydd ap Llywelyn from inheriting his father's lands outside Gwynedd, leading to war.
[12] The claims of his successor, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, conflicted with those of King Edward I of England; this resulted in the conquest of Wales by English forces.
[13] The Tudors of Penmynydd grew in power and influence during the 13th to 15th centuries, first owning land in north Wales,[14] but losing it after Maredudd ap Tudur backed the uprising of Owain Glyndŵr in 1400.
[15] Henry took the throne of England in 1485, at the end of the Wars of the Roses, when his forces defeated those of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Welsh was limited to the working and lower middle classes, which played a central role in the public attitude to the language.
[20] In 1406 Owain Glyndŵr set out a vision of Welsh independence in his Pennal letter, sent to Charles VI King of France.
A story of soldiers wearing the leek during battle to make it easier to identify them is recounted in the 17th century, attributed to Saint David.
Following an increase in nationalism in 1953, it was proposed to add the motto Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn ("the red dragon takes the lead") to the flag.
Prime Minister David Lloyd George ensured that the daffodil had a place in the investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales.
Little is known about the traditions and ceremonies, but Tacitus, whose claims were sometimes exaggerated, stated that they performed human sacrifice: he says that in AD 61, an altar on Anglesey was found to be "drenched with the blood of their prisoners".
The 11th century Ricemarch Psalter (now in Dublin) is certainly Welsh, made in St David's, and shows a late Insular style[56] with unusual Viking influence.
Ceri Richards was very engaged in the Welsh art scene as a teacher in Cardiff, and even after moving to London; he was a figurative painter in international styles including Surrealism.
[86][87] Television in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, but did not arrive in Wales until the opening of the Wenvoe transmitter in August 1952.
[88] On 1 November 1982, S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru) was launched bringing together the BBC, HTV and other independent producers to provide an initial service of 22 hours of Welsh-language television.
Wales continued to produce film of varying quality throughout the 20th century, in both the Welsh and English languages, though indigenous production was curtailed through a lack of infrastructure and finance, which prevented the growth of the industry nationally.
[citation needed] Wales is often referred to as "the land of song",[92] and is notable for its harpists, male choirs, and solo artists.
[108] By the 1980s, indie pop and alternative rock bands such as The Alarm, The Pooh Sticks and The Darling Buds were popular in their genres.
[109] In the 1990s, in England, the Britpop scene was emerging, while in Wales, bands such as Y Cyrff and Ffa Coffi Pawb began to sing in English, starting a culture that would lead to the creation of Catatonia and the Super Furry Animals.
[111] Some of those bands have had ongoing success, while the general popularity of Welsh music during this period led to a resurgence of singers such as Tom Jones with his album Reload.
[120][121] At the Olympic Games, Welsh athletes compete alongside those of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland as part of a Great Britain team.
[138] Plaid Cymru have argued that Wales should have its own international team and withdraw from the existing arrangement under which Welsh players play for England.
The debate focused on a report produced by the Welsh National Assembly's petitions committee, which reflected the arguments on both sides.
[149] Other former boxing world champions include Enzo Maccarinelli, Freddie Welsh, Howard Winstone, Percy Jones, Jimmy Wilde, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan.
[151] However, there are regional variations in the food seen across Wales, which can be traced historically to the availability of certain crops and produce in specific areas of the country.
It was strongly influenced by Somerset and Devon, and developed dishes such as whitepot while ingredients such as pumpkin were used, which are unusual in the rest of Wales.
[172] Whisky production in Wales was historically a niche industry, and completely shut down in 1910 when the last distillery was bought out by a Scottish firm.
