The 36th annual St. David’s Day celebration at Gustavus Adolphus College will be held Friday, Feb. 27.
At 10 a.m. a 200-voice student massed choir directed by Gustavus choral directors will lead the Christ Chapel congregation in the singing of four hymns from the National Gymanfa Ganu (Welsh Association) official hymnal. The four hymns this year will be Aberystwyth (Jesus, Lover of My Soul), Crimond (The Lord’s My Shepherd), Tydi A Roddaist (O Thou That Gave the Magic Dawn), 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., Emily Wojahn, a senior elementary education major with a deaf education specialization at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., will present the talk “University of Wales — 4 Months.” Wojahn will share her experiences from studying at the University of Wales, Bangor in 2007.
The final event of the 2009 St. David’s observance will be a Welsh Luncheon in the Heritage Banquet Room. The cost for the luncheon is $15 per person. Reservations should be made with the Office of Marketing and Communication no later than Monday, Feb. 23. For more information, call 507-933-7520 or e-mail marketing@gustavus.edu.
This unique event was founded and continues to be coordinated by Ellis Jones, emeritus professor of economics and management at Gustavus. Jones is 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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