Sandra, Kristjan and Kadi. Language All people in Wales speak English but the Welsh language is thriving. It is spoken fluently by over half a million.

Sandra, Kristjan and Kadi

LanguageAll people in Wales speak English but the Welsh language

is thriving. It is spoken fluently by over half a million people in Wales that is over 20% of the population. It is called Cymraeg.

That Celtic language is closely related to Cornish and Breton and is one of Europe`s oldest living languages. 

The Welsh people are keen to keep the language alive so Welsh is a compulsory subject for all school pupils up to the age of 16 in Wales. Welsh medium schools are also increasingly popular.

They have Welsh language televison channel, S4C, and a Welsh language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru.There is no daily newspaper in Welsh, but there is a weekly national paper as well as Welsh language magazines and regional monthly papers.

...some welsh wordsBore da -Good morningPrynhawn da - Good afternoonNoswaith da - Good eveningNos da - Good nightSut mae? - How are you?Croeso - WelcomeCroeso i Gymru - Welcome to WalesOs gwelwch yn dda - PleaseDiolch - ThanksDa - GoodDa iawn - Very goodIechyd da! - Cheers!Bendigedig - Great

MythologyEverywhere you go in Wales someone will point

out a hill, church or a standing stone that has a story of it's own.

Here are some of the better- Mabinogion- Lady of the Lake

MabinogionThe Mabinogion (pronounced 'Mabin-OGion') is a collection of Wales medieval tales dating back a thousand years which still have the ability to fascinate and appeal to all. They are regarded by many as a masterpiece of medieval literature and Wales' greatest contribution to European literature.The tales are set in a magical landscape which corresponds geographically to the western coast of Wales and are full of white horses, giants, beautiful, intelligent women and heroic men.Although these characters are long gone, the ancient sites associated with these legends remain. For example, Harlech Castle was where according to the tales of the Mabinogion, Matholwch, King of Ireland, arrived to marry the giant Bendigeidran’s sister Branwen. But the ill fated marriage resulted in warfare between the two countries and the death and carnage broke Branwen’s heart and she was buried on the banks of the river Alaw.

Lady of the LakeLlyn y Fan Fach, a remote lake in Wales Black Mountains has its very own Lady of the Lake legend. The story goes that it was here a young farmer named Gwyn won and then tragically lost the love of his life.He fell in love with a beautiful water fairy and she agreed to marry him but warned him she would leave him for ever if he struck her three times. They lived happily for many years and had three sons but when Gwyn struck her playfully for the third time she disappeared into the lake and he never saw her again.She would sometimes reappear to her sons and teach them the powers of healing with herbs and plants and they became skilful physicians as did their children after them. Some of their ancient remedies have survived and are in the Red Book of Hergest, one of our most important medieval manuscripts.

Legends

King ArthurKing Arthur and his knights regularly appear in Wales mythology and folklore. In Wales, Arthur’s fame lives on in our everyday place names. Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen) is believed to be Merlin’s birthplace, and is named after him. There’s Maes-y-Camlan or Camlan Field; Bryn y Cleifion (Hill of the Wounded) marks the area where the casualties may have been laid and Nant-y-Saeson (Stream of the Saxons) suggests where Arthur's enemies pitched camp.These place names are not devised to try and prove a point - they are real names, centuries old, part of a community memory which is still alive. The name Arthur comes from the same stem as the Welsh word ‘arth’, meaning bear.He is also supposed to have fought his last battle at Bwlch y Saethau - the Pass of Arrows - which is below Snowdon’s summit and Llyn Llydaw is the lake where Arthur’s sword Excalibur was thrown. On the Gower peninsula stands Arthur’s Stone which is said to be the ‘pebble’ that he removed from his boot on his way to the battle of Camlann in AD 539. He threw the stone over his shoulder and it landed seven miles away on Cefn Bryn Common near Reynoldston.

BeddgelertFrom the village of Beddgelert, in the National Park of Snowdonia, comes the tale of Prince Llywelyn. The Prince was very fond of hunting. Although he had many dogs, his favourite was Gelert, as he was fearless in the hunt and also a loyal friend and companion. One day Llewelyn and his wife went out hunting, leaving their baby son with a nurse and a servant to look after him. The nurse and the servant went for a walk in the mountains leaving the baby alone and unprotected.Llewelyn was absorbed in his hunting, but after a while he noticed that Gelert wasn’t with the pack. The Prince knew something was wrong as Gelert was always at the front of the pack. He reasoned that the only place Gelert would go was back to the lodge, so he called off the hunt and headed back home.As the party dismounted, Gelert came running out of the lodge towards his master, covered in blood and wagging his tail. The Princess, calling her child's name, fainted. Llewelyn rushed into the baby's room to find the cradle overturned, the bloodstained bedclothes thrown all over the floor - and no sign of his son.Filled with anger and grief he drew his sword and killed Gelert. As the dog died, his whimpers and his cries were answered by the sound of a baby crying from behind the overturned cradle. When Llewelyn pulled aside the cradle he found his son unharmed and the body of a huge wolf next to him. Gelert had in fact killed the wolf as it tried to attack Llewelyn's son. With huge remorse, Llewelyn buried Gelert in a meadow nearby and marked his grave with a cairn of stones.

FilmsWales is a popular location for filming. Wales landscape has provided the setting to Hollywood movies and popular television shows such as Harry Potter and Dr Who.

North Wales was the backdrop to scenes from the second Tomb Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie whilst Bollywood films have been shot in locations all across Wales such as Caerphilly Castle and Aberystwyth. Bollywood star Mayur Verma has even relocated here. The Delhi-born actor said of his move: "Everyone is so welcoming and friendly and it's a great place to raise a family."

The film Ironclad, starring Paul Giamatti, was also recently filmed in South Wales at the Dragon International Film Studios (also known as “Valleywood”).

Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas who died in New York in 1953, has been the focus of a number of films. The Edge of Love a film about the poet's life starring Matthew Rhys, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller was filmed on location in west Wales.

The longest-running science fiction television show in the world, Doctor Who, was revived by Welsh writer and producer Russell T Davies for BBC Wales and has won many awards. Filmed in south Wales, if you’re lucky you may see stars from the show around Cardiff. (The Doctor Who Experience, currently in London, will be moving to its permanent home in Cardiff next year, 2012). Doctor Who spin off Torchwood has also been filmed in and around South Wales with its former ‘hub’situated in front of Cardiff's Millennium Centre.

The BAFTA Award Winning British sitcom, Gavin and Stacey was also made here in Wales. Written by and starring Welsh writer and actress Ruth Jones, the show also includes Welsh actor and comedian, Rob Brydon.

Welsh television producers S4C International have an animation catalogue that is broadcast all over the world, and have had two Oscar nominations for Famous Fred and The Canterbury Tales.Other TV shows made here in Wales include; BBC television drama - Sherlock Holmes, Merlin, and the 1960's cult TV series, The Prisoner which was filmed at Portmeirion in north Wales.