Esedhvos Festival
Grand Bard Merv Davey Gorsedh Kernow's Esedhvos Festival promotes and celebrates Cornwall’s distinctive cultural identity and Celtic heritage. The Cornish equivalent of the Welsh Eisteddfod and Breton Gorsedd, it is held in Cornwall every year in the days surrounding the annual Gorsedh Kernow bardic ceremony. The range of events is wide, open to the public and mostly free of charge, taking place in locations close to the current Gorsedh ceremony site. Festival events usually include a Book Fair, a one-day conference, a ceilidh, a concert, a bi-lingual Sunday Evensong and the opportunity to try out a bit of the Cornish language for yourself. Often there are talks, walks or demonstrations of local interest.
Yeth an Werin On Gorsedh Saturday itself, the impressive ceremony is augmented by colourful stalls on the Gorsedh Field. Here you may browse among stalls offering Cornish crafts, foods and drink, you can find information on local organisations and societies and also learn about Cornwall’s native language, Kernewek. The whole experience gives you the opportunity each year to visit one of Cornwall’s beautiful, historic but maybe lesser-known towns and to explore Cornwall’s heritage and culture in a friendly, happy atmosphere of celebration.
Contact Pat Parkins, the Esedhvos Events Manager, either by email on esedhvos@gorsedhkernow.org.uk or by leaving a text message or voicemail on our dedicated Esedhvos phoneline 077 621 69 733 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
For posters of the various events please see the News page. Here is the full programme for the Festival which will also be posted on the Gorsedh Kernow website Esedhvos page, the GK Facebook page and on Twitter showing a link to the GK website. All events will be held in the Hotel Bristol, Narrowcliff, Newquay, TR7 2PQ unless otherwise stated and most are free of charge. Where event tickets are shown (excluding the bardic tea), they can also be purchased from Newquay Museum (limited opening) tel 01637 870611 or from the Hotel Bristol tel 01637 875181 Wednesday 29th August onwards The Grand Bard’s chair will be on display @ the Hotel Bristol small dining room until Saturday 1st September. Thursday 30th August 11am-3pm Literary Festival @ the Hotel Bristol featuring Holyer an Gof “Meet the Authors” and book launch plus stalls with Cornish items for sale. Refreshments available. Free entry. 12 noon onwards Display @ the Hotel Bristol small dining room of Gorsedh Kernow Young People’s Awards and Adults Awards & Competitions entries. Free entry. 4pm Performance of Tide & Time by Blystra Arts @ the Hotel Bristol ballroom. Tickets £3 6.30pm for 7pm Presentation @ the Hotel Bristol ballroom by the Grand Bard to winners of 2018 Gorsedh Kernow Adults Awards & Competitions and Young People’s Awards. Evening hosted by Jon Cleave, Lev Enev an Tir. Bar. Free entry. Friday 31st August 10am – 4.30pm Conference @ the Hotel Bristol ballroom “Cornwall’s Cultural Assets – Time for Change?” Cornwall’s distinctive culture, from our language to our music, from our sports to our cuisine, is a major asset that impacts upon the health and economic well being of our community. Now is the time for Cornwall to take control of her own cultural destiny and to capitalise on the opportunities this offers. With speakers Dr Nichola Harmer (Lecturer in Human Geography, Plymouth University), Kim Conchie (CEO Cornwall Chamber), Dick Cole (Archaeologist) and Bert Biscoe (Gorsedh Kernow). Stalls with Cornish items for sale. Pre booking essential. Tickets £6 to include pasty lunch 7.30pm Cornish Troyl/Ceilidh @ the Hotel Bristol ballroom with the North Cornwall Ceilidh Band. Bring your dancing shoes and join in the fun, no experience necessary! Bar. Free entry. Saturday 1st September 10am Civic procession around Newquay town centre at the invitation of the Mayor of Newquay with bards, dignitaries and invited guests. From Beach Road to Killacourt. Coach to and from town if required. 11am Cornish stalls open including food and drink and a chance to visit the Cornish Embassy and Tick Box Bus @ the Barrowfields. 11.30am – 12 noon Demonstration of Cornish wrestling with Mike Cawley, Omdowler @ the Barrowfields. 12.30-1pm Performance by Oll an Gwella @ the Barrowfields. 1.30pm Procession of bards from the Hotel Bristol to the Barrowfields. 2pm Gorsedh Kernow bardic ceremony @ the Barrowfields or @ Hotel Bristol if wet. Includes installation of new Grand Bard Elizabeth Carne, Melennek and new Deputy Grand Bard Pol Hodge, Mab Stenak Vur. All welcome. Free entry. 8.30pm Cornish Come All Ye music and song session @ the Great Western Hotel, Cliff Road, Newquay, TR7 2NE. Hosted by Matthew Clarke. All welcome. Free entry. Sunday 2nd September 10am ‘Blas a Gernewek – A Taste of Cornish’ session with Loveday Jenkin, Myrgh an Tir @ The Cribbar, Gover Lane, Newquay, TR7 1ER. Refreshments available. Free entry. A minibus will be available for those unable to walk into town. 11.30am Heritage Walk around Newquay with Len Sheppard starting and finishing at The Cribbar. 3pm Evensong in Cornish @ St Michael’s The Archangel Church, St Michael's Road, Newquay, TR7 1RA. For more info about Newquay please visit the website https://www.visitnewquay.org Please support as many of these events as you can. The general public, both locals and visitors to the area, are welcome to attend all the above events, most of which are free. Gorsedh Kernow’s Esedhvos Festival of Cornish Culture is supported by Newquay Town Council, Newquay BID, RRL Chartered Accountants, the Hotel Bristol, Newquay Lions, Newquay Towan Blystra Lions and many local organisations and volunteers. Meur ras! / Many thanks! A Report from Esedhvos 2017 by Pat Parkins The 2017 Cornish Gorsedh was held in a wonderful location - Launceston Castle, which gave a beautiful backdrop to the occasion. During the days of the Esedhvos, visitors attended many interesting events & displays. On Thursday, the Book Festival was held, including short interviews with winners of the Holyer an Gof awards, the launch of newly-published books & also stalls selling books old & new & other items with a Cornish theme. Simultaneously, the winning entries in the Gorsedh Kernow Competitions were on display. The winners were very proud & filled the Town Hall that evening for the prizegiving ceremony. We were in the Town Hall again on Friday, attending the Gorsedh Kernow Conference, entitled ‘Cornish Culture & Tourism: Friends or Foes?’. It was an interesting day, with talks giving food for the mind & pasties at lunchtime giving food for the stomach. After sitting down all day, we enjoyed ourselves later dancing at a lively & friendly Troyl. Saturday was a beautiful day on Castle Green in the warm sunshine for the Gorsedh Ceremony itself & also the Esedhvos stalls, where a large crowd of people had gathered, strolling about & buying Cornish products as souvenirs. The traditional Bardic tea followed, then the Concert, with very talented participants & everyone joining in with ‘Trelawney’ to finish. To carry on singing & enjoying ourselves, many of us then squeezed into ‘The Bell’. It was reported that a large group continued singing for some considerable time: certainly there were a few quiet, palefaced individuals next morning! We were lucky with the weather up until Sunday, when storms appeared, but that was not a problem for the ‘Taste of Cornish’ with an opportunity to chat in Cornish &, for beginners, to have a go at ordering tea, coffee & biscuits in Cornish. A guided walk of the town followed & it was most interesting to discover hidden corners of this ancient town. After lunch in ‘The Bell’, the Esedhvos ended with Evensong in Cornish in the parish church & a chance to inspect the famous granite carvings. The church had been decorated with great care using flowers in the Gorsedh colours &, fittingly, we ended the Gorsedh listening to the choir singing in Cornish.
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EsedhvosEsedhvos Gorsedh Kernow a’s teves bern a-dro dh’agan honanieth wonisogethel ha’gan ertach keltek. Haval dhe’n Esedhvos kembrek ha’n Gorsedd bretonek, ev a hwer pub bledhen y’n dedhyow yn-kerghyn an Orsedh hy honan. Gans meur a hwarvosow gonisogethel dihaval, an brassa rann anedha heb kost, rag oll an werin yw an Esedhvos, mayth omlowenhahons yn tyller an Orsedh. Herwydh usadow, yn Dedhyow an Esedhvos y kevir Fer Lyvrow, Jorna Keskussulyans, Troyll, Gool Ilow, Gwesper Diwyethek ha Myttin Lowender Kernewek. Y hwyrvydh martesen ynwedh arethow, keskerdhow po diskwedhyansow a-dro dhe vateryow a’n ranndir. Dy’Sadorn an Orsedh, y fydh stallow afinys oll a-dro dhe Bark an Solempnita hag y hyllir gwandra ow mires orth kreftow, boos ha diwes kernewek, kavos kedhlow yn kever kowethasow teythyek, ha praktisya agas Kernewek gans tus orth stall agan yeth! Der an prevyans ma pub bledhen, yth aswonir milwell trevow kernewek teg hag istorek hag omlowenhe yn prysweyth kernewek gwir.
Gwrewgh kestava Pat Parkins, Dyghtyer Hwarvosow an Esedhvos: Towlen Esedhvos 2018 - gwrewgh gweles an Sowsnek a-gledh mar pleg! Rag krisellow an hwarvosow gwrewgh gweles an folen Nowodhow mar pleg. Derivas dhyworth Esedhvos 2017 gans Pat Parkins Dy’Yow, y hwarva an Gool Lyvrow, ha ganso keskowsow berr gans gwaynyoryon kesstrif Holyer an Gof, lonch lyvrow nowydh-dyllys hag ynwedh stallow ow kwertha lyvrow nowydh ha koth ha taklow erel, Kernow aga thesten. Yn kettermyn ha henna, displetyans oberennow gwaynyoryon Kesstrifow Gorsedh Kernow a omgevi. Pur orgelus o an waynyoryon hag i a lenwis Hel an Dre gorthugherweyth rag solempnita degemeres aga fiwas. Dy’Gwener, yth esen ni y’n Hel an Dre arta, ow koslowes orth keskussulyans Gorsedh Kernow, ‘Gonisogeth ha Tornyaseth Kernow: Kowetha po Eskerens?’ y hanow. Dy’Sadorn o dydh teg an gewer, war lasen an kastel yn-dann howl tomm rag Solempnita Gorsedh Kernow y honan ha’n stallow Esedhvos ynwedh, yn le mayth esa kuntellys bush bras a dus ow rosya ha prena taklow kernewek avel kovro. An Te Bardhek hengovek a sewyas hag ena an Gool Ilow, gans kevrenoryon meur aga gallos ha pubonen ow kana ‘Trelawny’ war-barth orth y fin. Rag pesya kana hag omlowenhe, lies ahanan a omwaskas a-wosa y’n diwotti ‘An Klogh’. Feusik en ni awos an gewer bys yn dy’Sul, pan dheuth hager-awel, mes nyns o kaletter rag an ‘Blas a Gernewek’, gans chons dhe glappya yn Kernewek ha, rag dallethoryon, previ erghi te, koffi ha tesennow kales yn Kernewek. Keskerdh an dre a sewyas, hag ass o didheurek diskudha kornellow kel a’n dre goth ma. An eglos re bia afinys gans meur a rach, ow kul devnydh a vleujyow yn liwyow Gorsedh Kernow ha ni a worfennas an hwarvos ow koslowes orth keur neb a ganas yn Kernewek, dell o gwiw.
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Esedhvos Festival of Cornish Culture 2018