CHAPTER 7: WALES

Wales and England have always had a close relationship. In the past, England took control of Wales. In the period from 1536 to 1543, England and Wales become one country. But the modern Welsh nationalists wants independence for Wales.Welsh is a living language (25% of people know it well). All children learn it in schools, and there are some TV programs and newspapers which are Welsh.

Food: In Wales there are a lot of sheep in the countryside, so lamb is often on the menu! The breakfast includes: black laver bread, paste and seaweed (Japanese sushi). Other Welsh dishes are rarebit (chees) and Bara Brith (fruit cake).

Sport: Rugby is the most popular sport. The Wales team takes part in different important competitions. Football, cricket and snooker are also popular. You can also go surfing.

The Land of Song :Wales is called th e”land of song”, and his national song “land of my Fathers”.Wales is famous for its men’s choirs and they often sing before rugby matches. The workers of the iron industry often formed choirs. Now the industry are less important, but the tradition of singing continues.

The Eisteddfod: Eisteddfod is a Welsh word which means “to be sitting together”.An Eisteddfos is an annual meeting of poets, musicians, singers and sometimes dancers who compete for prizes.This is a symbol of Wales, and the women wear a national dress (tall black hat and a red cloak).

Iconic places : Cardiff is the capital of Wales. It was named European City of Sport in 2009.Swansea is the second largest city in Wales. In the past was the center of the industry.Oxwich Bay (the most beautiful beach in Britain), Three Cliffs Bay, (Britain’s best beach), Rhossili Bay (the British supermodel of beaches) are different beaches which found in Wales.Saint David’s is the smallest city in the UK, but it has a magnificent cathedral.Snowdonia is a national park in North Wales. It includes mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, forests and coast. The name comes from the highest mountain, Snowdon.In wales there are lots of castles which were built to protect. The most important are: Caernarfon, Harlech, Beaumaris and Conwy.Portmeirion is an Italian-style village in North Wales.There are other beautiful areas in Wales, such as Cardigan Bay, Pembrokeshire Coast, Anglesey, Aberystwyth, bangor and Llandudno.

Iconic people:Llewellyn the Great and Owen Glendower are 2 heroes of the Welsh.Llewellyn kept Wales independent from the Normal kings of England. Glendower was a nationalist who led a revolution against England.There is a legend about Llewellyn’s dog. Gellert (dog) had to guard the king’s baby while he was away. He killed a wolf that tried to attack the child. When Llewellyn returned, he couldn’t see the baby and there was blood on the dog’s mouth, so he killed the dog. But then he found the baby safe under its bed.Henry Morgan was a pirate who robed ships and towns in the Caribbean.Bylan Thomas (writer), Catherine Zeta Jones (actress), Anthony Hopkins (actor), Aneurin Bevan (politician) and Richard Burton (actor).Shirley Bassey has had a long career in show business since she began performing. She sings the title songs for three James Bond films.

Welsh legends: King Arthur and Branwen

In welsh literature we can found writings about Arthur.On Bardsey Island, there is a cave where local stories say that Arthur and Merlin are buried. Most people thing that Arthur was a Celt.Another legend is about a girl called Branwen, whose brother was a giant and a king in Wales. Branwen married the king of Ireland. When he took her to Ireland he was very unkind to her. The girl sent news to her brother and he wald across the sea to Ireland. There was a terrible war, and many peole were killed. Branwen returned to Wales with the heart of her brother and was so sad.