*** Wales Welsh boys activities







Welsh Boys' Activities



Figure 1.--Here we see an unidentified Welsh family at a beach outing, we think in the 1880s. As you can see the British had different ideas about beach outings than we do today. The boy looks to be about 11-12 years old. he wears what looks ike a flat cap and abickers suit. Notice his dad's bowler and the ladies boaters. They are at New Quay, a seaside town in Ceredigion, located along the central coast. It is part of Cardigan Bay with a harbour and large sandy beaches. The studio was A. Squibbs in New Quay.

We are just beginning to develop information on Welsh boys' activies such as choir, dance, holidays, music, outings, religion, schools, sports, and others. What we see is basically the same trends we see in England. The only activity that we see that differs somewhat from England is choral singing. We would be interested in any information on such activities that HBC readers may have. Perhaps no art form is more associated with Wales than choral singing-especial male choirs. There are a few boys' choirs as well, but they are essentially the same as English boy choirs. We have developed some information on the St. Wolo Cathedral Choir. We also have some information on traditional Welsh dancing. We have some information on holidays. The beautiful green country side, including the rugged coastline provides oportunities for family outings. School, sports, and youth groups are essentilly the same as in England. The education system is essentially the same. Various sports are played at schools , but the dominant youth sport is football. Scouting and Guides are the main youth groups. There is also the Boys' Brigade. We also notice the Welsh National Eiisteddfod. In Welsh culture, an eisteddfod was similat to an Rish feis or a Scottish Higland gathering. It is a festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such gatherings of artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan (1176).

Dance

We also have some information on traditional Welsh dancing. We know very little about Welsh dancing. We know nothing about medieval Welsh dancing. The growing importance of Non-conformist sects in the 18th and 19th centuries adversely affected traditioinal dance forms. Church leaders saw dance in general as well as other forms of Welsh folk arts and customs as essentially sinful. Religious leaders set out to stamp out sinful Welsh practices and traditional damcing was one of the activities considered the most sinful. To a large extent they were successful, but written records survived as well as dances which were adopted outside Wales. Welsh folk dancing and other aspects of Welsch folk culture by the beginning of the 20th century was no longer an important part of Welsh life. Only gradually did an interest develop in reviving lost Welsh folk traditions. After World War II, enthusiasts founded the Welsh Folk Dance Society (1949). There are now several adult folk dancing teams active in Wales and many children's groups in Welsh schools.

Festivals

We also notice the Welsh National Eisteddfod. In Welsh culture, an eisteddfod was similat to an Rish feis or a Scottish Higland gathering. The Welsh term means 'session'. It is a composit term from two Welsh morphemes: 'eistedd', meaning sit and 'bod', meaning be. It is a festival of literature, music and performance. The tradition of such gatherings of artists dates back to at least the 12th century, when a festival of poetry and music was held by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan (1176). Over time, the decline of the medieval bardic tradition caused it to decline and eventually disappear. A revial of Celtic culture beginning in more modern times resulted in revial of the festivals, the Irish feis, the Scottish Highland Gatherings, and the Welsh eisteddfod. The modern National National Eiisteddfod format has evolved from informal eisteddfod that began to be celabrated (18th and 19th centuries). We note creative outdoor works in the Welsh langiage. The managers are now considering a film project.

Holidays

We have some information on holidays. The Welsh as part of the United Kingdom celebrate the same basic holidays as in England as the rest of Britain. We do not yet have much information about specific Welsh traditions. We have found some information about Christmas in Wales. While we know little about Welsh holiday traditions, perhaos the most notable aspect of Welsh holidays is the fact that there are quite a number of seaside resports in Wales as a result of the lovely beaches. Wales is perhaps best known for King Edward I's imposing castles built during the medieval era as part of the Norman conquest of Wales (13th century), the beautiful beaches became a popular tourist destination during the Voctorian era, especially after the construction of railroads opened up access to the English middle-class and prosperous working-class families (19th century). And at about the same time that Britain began building railroads, the sailor suit thanks to the Bitish Royal familyappeared on the fashion scene. At it was the sailor suit that became the standard dress for the children at beach resorts. Most of the vacationers in Wales were English, just because the Englidh by a large mdasure were the bulk of the Briish population. After World War II, many of these beach resorts began to decline, especially after cheap flights made vacations in warmer climes more affordable. Many of the Welsh and English resorts declined, but in recent years thanks to renewal efforts these resorts have been recovering.

Music

Some countries have a cukltutre more knnown for music than others. One of those countries isWales. The music of Wales falls heavily on singing, especially choral singing. It is today a substantial part of Welsh national identity. Wales has been traditionally called 'the land of song'. This is perhaps a modern stereotype based on the strength of nonconformist choral music and 20th century male choirs. The Eisteddfodau is the Welsh equivanent of the Irish feis. While the Irish feis has a strong dancing component. The Eisteddfodau has a strong singing component. The only activity that we see that differs somewhat from England is choral singing. Perhaps no art form is more associated with Wales than choral singing-especial male choirs. There are a few boys' choirs as well, but they are essentially the same as English boy choirs. We have developed some information on the St. Wolo Cathedral Choir.

Outings

We note a range of family outings. Some of the best known are outings to the local park. These commonly are simply short outings. City parks were a 19th century innivation, a development following the industrial revolution and the tremendous growth of cities with the expanding working class. Britain has some of the most famous city parks in the world. Most are the in England. There are of course the imposing Welsh castles built by the English in port cities. In addition to the famous parks there are large numbers of city parks which provide recreation for adults and children. Hopefully our Welsh readers will tell us more about Welsh parks. Wales of course is most famous for beautiful, monanous rugged green country side, including the rugged coastline provides oportunities for family outings. Some of the seaside resorts are quite famous. Many of them built piers ith all kinds of amusements. Another development in the 19th century was excursions. An excursion is a short trip to an interesting or diverting place with the idea of returning the same day or within a few days. Britain is well known fir its day trippers. This was made possible at first by the railroads which appeared in the mid-19th century. This made it possible to travel to interesting places and return quickly at a very modest price. Here beach excursions as well as longer holidays were especially popular, particularly for families with children. Britain is an island and seaside resorts are close to every English town. Most are in England. The Welsh beaches benefut from the more tranquil conditions of the Irish Sea compared to England's North Sea and Channel coasts. The coming of the railroad in particular mean that beach resorts could be reached in only about 1-2 hours from any English towns. A few are also located in Wales. Visitors at New Quay are pictured here. An English reader tells us a bit about Rhyle and points out that Llandudno is today where day trippers would go instead. He reports, "was down Rhyl way today. I was visiting Caernarfon Castle. It is a a very pleasant. It is a coastal route."

Play


Religion


School

Wales was conquered by the Normans in the 12-13th century before the developmnt of the British education system. Thus education developed in Wales along the same pattern as in England. Schooling was a luxury in the Middle Ages reserved for a privlidged few. What schooling was to be had, was conducted by the Church and until Henry VIII and the Reformation would have been conducted in Latin as was the case throughout the Christain world. After the Reformation schools began to be established in England that were secular in nature. Many of the great English public schools were established at this time and the language of instruction was English. Only a small part of the population, however, actually went to any form of school. We are unsure about the language of instruction in Welsh schools established in the 16th-18th centuries. As they would have been established in the cities where English influence was greatest, they may have been conducted in English, but we have no actual information at this time. During the 18th century, John Griffiths set up many Sunday schools in Wales to teach the Welsh how to read and write in Welsh, bringing mass literacy to Wales, something not seen in England until the late 19th century. A Welsh reader writes, "The Welsh Sunday schools in the 18th century came about after noncomformity and the chapels began to dominate Welsh life (the chapels did dominate Welsh life right up until the middle of the 20th century) with their firebrand preaching. The literacy (in Welsh, not English) in Wales led to many Welsh books being printed and many households owning their own Bibles." [Morgan] With the advent of state-financed public education, the inroads of the English language into Wales increased. As far as we know, all of the state financed schools like National Schools conducted classes in English and insisted that only English be spoken. We note in the 20th century little difference between English and Welsh schools and school uniform. We do have details on one Welsh school, Cowbridge Grammar School which dates back to 1607. A Welsh reader writes, "Since the 1950s Welsh language education (and that is education through the medium of Welsh, not just teaching the Welsh language to pupils) has become evermore popular." [Morgan]

Sports

Sports are baically the same as in England. This is understanable given the fact thatb all sports are basically modern creatiions. The education system is essentially the same. Various sports are played at schools , but the dominant youth sport is football. Of course there are Welsh natiinal teans for the major sport competitions.

Youth Groups

Youth groups are the same a in England. Scouting and Guides are the main youth groups. There is also the Boys' Brigade.







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Created: 2:31 PM 12/5/2016
Last updated: 7:03 PM 8/8/2023