The band was founded in 2008 in Utrecht.[4] In 2011, they were joined by drummer Jan de Vries.[5] In the years following, the band have performed at numerous notable alternative, gothic and medieval music festivals in Europe, including Festival-Mediaval, Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum and Trolls et Légendes, and have headlined at Castlefest, the largest pagan/fantasy festival in Europe, for several years. In 2016, the band announced that founding member Fieke van den Hurk would leave the band, which she did in early 2017.[5] End of March 2017, the band announced that Luka Aubri, formerly a member of Omnia, and Faber Horbach would join the band.[6]
Cesair's music is described as "Pagan Folk",[7] as well as "a mixture of folk and ethnic music from the Orient".[8] The band have expressed having some difficulty with the term pagan folk, explaining that "the term 'pagan' implies that the music has a certain spiritual concept, or is aimed against certain religions, which is not what they stand for".[4] Instead, they use the moniker "Epic Folk & Mythic Music".[1]
Cesair's debut album, entitled Dies, Nox et Omnia, was recorded in the Wisseloord StudiosinHilversum and features a guest appearance by Sonja Drakulich from Stellamara / FAUN.[9] In May 2015, a special edition of the band's debut album was released through Miroque GmbH / Alive AG / Screaming Banshee Records, entitled Dies, Nox et Omnia: Sine Fine.[10] This edition was remastered by Grammy Award winner Darcy Proper in the Wisseloord Studios and features remixes by the bands Corvus Corax and Schwarzblut and by Niel Mitra from FAUN.[11]
The name Cesair derives from Cessair, a character from the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland. According to the band, "the adventures of this heroic woman are in many ways interwoven into their songs, and offer numerous possibilities for exploration, since Cesair herself allegedly explored the entire known world".[4]
