 Celebrating Our Heritage
Malad Valley was settled in the 1860s by Welsh pioneers who
brought their Welsh traditions with them. One important
tradition was an annual “eisteddfod”, patterned after the
music and poetry contests held in Wales for over 900 years.
Malad Valley’s eisteddfod was an annual cultural arts
event held in Malad and Samaria on alternating years. Judges
came from Salt Lake City to choose the best vocal and
instrumental numbers and recitations. The eisteddfod was an
all-day event with people coming from all over Oneida
County. The custom continued until 1916 and World War I.
To learn more about this year's festival, click on Welsh
Festival on the left of the page or click on the following
link:
www.welshfestival.com.
With the goal of renewing the eisteddfod tradition, the
Malad Valley Welsh Society was formed in 2004. Malad is a
natural location for a Welsh festival as it has the largest
per capita concentration of persons of Welsh ancestry
outside Wales itself. The Welsh Society has the following
goals: |
