Hymns and Arias

Monday morning I departed Lake Taupo for the 3.5 hr drive back down to New Plymouth in the Taranaki region. The reason? Wales! The Welsh were taking on Namibia in pool play, and I had to catch at least one Welsh match. I am 1/4 welsh as my grandfather came to the USA as a kid. At the last World Cup in 2007, I was lucky enough to see the Welsh play Japan and the match was in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, no less.

Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is often referred to as “The Cathedral of Rugby”. The reason being is that the Welsh love to sing and they sing lots of hymnals and so a match in Cardiff resembles a day in church! It is part of their culture. It started in the times of Merlin the Magician and Dragons when tales were often told by song. It continued during the industrial revolution in the coal mines of Wales that provided coal to much of Europe. Out of that tradition, towns across Wales all sport Male Choirs that carry on that tradition of singing.

Go to a match in Cardiff, or any local pub for that matter, and you are likely to hear religious hymns sung like Bread of Heaven, with verses added such as ‘Wales Victorious’ instead of the normal chorus of Bread of Heaven. Other songs by Welsh singers such as Hymns and Arias, or Delilah are also popular. Yes, Tom Jones was Welsh! Oh, and did I mention that most times these songs are sung in Welsh? Even the National Anthem, called Land of My Fathers, is sung in Welsh and is amazing to witness 90,000 people singing it in 3 part harmony.

Now Namibia is not exactly the bitter rival of the Welsh. That would be....THE ENGLISH.  There are more castles in Wales than most any other European country. Why? Because King Edward needed them to keep the Welsh obedient. Ever wonder why the English King is elevated from the title of The Prince of Wales? It’s because the Welsh refused to be governed by an Englishman, so the crown bestowed the title Prince of Wales to the heir to the crown so that forevermore the Welsh would be governed by a ‘Welsh King” if not in name only. 

Funny story, in town, before the match I stopped in a store to look around. A young man was there buying a Namibia Jersey to wear to the game. The clerk asked if he was from Namibia, he said “Oh god no! I'm from England, but I’ll be damned if I support the Welsh!” So I guess the feeling is mutual. One of the more popular songs a few years back in Wales, was a song called: “As long as we beat the English” referencing a particular rugby season in which the Welsh were struggling.

The match? Not so close. Blowout win by Wales over Namibia. Lots of singing! All of the above mentioned songs. Namibia is now out of the World Cup, as they failed to win a match and advance out of Pool Play Round.

Took photos of the beautiful drive down to Taranaki and New Plymouth. And yes, turns out, there is a volcano there!  The first week of my trip spent in this area was cloudy and rainy. The volcano never revealed itself. Today it was out in full glory. Here’s just some of the photos from today: