The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, also known as WNGGA, was founded in 1929, after the first

Cymanfa Ganu A Cymanfa Ganu (, ''Singing Festival''), is a Welsh festival of sacred hymns, sung with four part harmony by a congregation, usually under the direction of a choral director. The Cymanfa Ganu movement was launched in 1859 at Bethania Chapel in A ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

was held on a field on Goat Island, located in the Niagara Reservation State Park in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

. The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association is responsible for overseeing the Cymanfaoedd Ganu held in North America.

History

The Gymanfa Ganu at Niagara Falls was the first National Gymanfa Ganu (Guh-mahn'-va Gahn'-ee) to be held in the United States. Although exact estimates are unknown, it is believed that 3,000 were in attendance.History of North American Gymanfa Ganus
History
/ref> The

Welsh American Welsh Americans ( cy, Americanwyr Cymreig) are an American ethnic group whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S ...

s of

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

are generally given the majority of credit for helping to perpetuate this movement. However, there were many others involved in the planning for the event. Delegations from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, traveling by train and auto to Niagara Falls, were joined there by equally enthusiastic Welsh from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. After the success of the first Gymanfa Ganu, plans were already being made for another Gymanfa at Niagara Falls the following year. An organizational structure was put into place with Will Lewis (Youngstown, Ohio) as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

; Ellis Hughes (Niagara Falls, New York) as

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

; Dave Lewis (Youngstown, Ohio) as

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

; and W. B. Jones (

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

) as

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

. This was the beginning of what has been known as the "Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association", renamed in 2011 to "Welsh North American Association" or WNAA. This change was adopted at the September 3, 2011, Annual General Meeting of The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, in Cleveland, Ohio, in recognition of the broadened mission of the organization. This mission is stated as "to preserve, develop and promote our Welsh cultural heritage including, but not limited to, the Gymanfa Ganu, literature, cultural traditions..." (see Official Website link below) With the exception of three years during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(1943-1945), a Gymanfa Ganu (commonly just referred to as a ''National'') has been held in North America every year since 1929. In 1969 the Gymanfa was held in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, and in 1974 in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

, both in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

(there were two Nationals held in North America in each of those two years, but both are not included in the official count).

External links

Official WebsiteNorth American Festival of Wales

References

{{reflist Eisteddfod Folk festivals in the United States Welsh-American culture in New York (state) Welsh-American culture in Ohio Welsh-American culture in Pennsylvania Welsh-American history Welsh Canadian Welsh-language music