The 35th annual St. David’s Day celebration at Gustavus Adolphus College will be held Friday, Feb. 29.
At 10 a.m. a 200-voice student massed choir directed by Gustavus choir directors will lead the congregation in Christ Chapel in singing four hymns from the National Gymanfa Ganu (Welsh Association) official hymnal. The four hymns this year will be Sandon (Lead Kindly Light), Aberystwyth (Jesus, Lover of My Soul), Calon Lan(I Seek Not Life’s Ease and Pleasures), and Cwm Rhondda (Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah).
The celebration will continue with a 10:30 a.m. “Welsh Reception” in Alumni Hall, located in the O.J. Johnson Student Union. At 11 a.m. Jessica Potter, executive director of the Blue Earth County Historical Society, will present the talk “Your Welsh Memories and Historical Items.”
The final event of the 2008 St. David’s observance will be a “Welsh Luncheon” in the college’s Dining Center. The cost for the luncheon is $14.50 per person. Reservations should be made with the Office of College Relations no later than Monday, Feb. 25. For more information, call 507-933-7520 or e-mail collegerelations@gustavus.edu.
This unique event was founded and continues to be coordinated by Ellis Jones, emeritus professor of economics and management at Gustavus and a past executive director for the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association.
Welsh people around the world observe St. David’s Day on or near March 1. Characteristic of the Welsh celebration is singing hymns in parts (called a Gymanfa Ganu and pronounced Guh-mahn-vuh Gah-nee). The annual Gustavus hymn sing brings many off-campus guests to join the on-campus community — making the event the largest of its kind in Canada and the United States.
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