Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association facts for kids

The Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association, also known as WNGGA, was created in 1929. This happened after the very first Cymanfa Ganu (which is a Welsh singing festival) was held in North America. This special event took place on a field on Goat Island, which is part of the Niagara Reservation State Park in Niagara Falls, New York. The WNGGA helps organize and look after these Welsh singing festivals across North America.

The Start of the Singing Festival

The first Gymanfa Ganu at Niagara Falls was a big deal. It was the first time such a large Welsh singing festival was held in the United States. We don't know the exact number of people who attended, but it's thought that around 3,000 people were there!

Many Welsh Americans from Youngstown, Ohio are given credit for helping this movement grow. However, lots of other people were involved in planning the event too. Groups of Welsh people traveled by train and car from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. They were joined by enthusiastic Welsh people from Ontario, Canada.

How the Association Was Formed

Because the first Gymanfa Ganu was such a success, people immediately started planning another one for the next year. They created an official group to help organize everything.

Here were the first leaders:

• Will Lewis from Youngstown, Ohio, became the President.
• Ellis Hughes from Niagara Falls, New York, was the Vice President.
• Dave Lewis from Youngstown, Ohio, became the Secretary.
• W. B. Jones from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was the Treasurer.

This was the beginning of what became known as the "Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association." In 2011, the name was changed to the "Welsh North American Association," or WNAA.

A New Name and Mission

The name change to "Welsh North American Association" happened on September 3, 2011. This took place at the yearly meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. The new name showed that the group's goals had grown.

Their new mission is to "preserve, develop and promote our Welsh cultural heritage." This includes the Gymanfa Ganu, Welsh literature, and other cultural traditions.

A Yearly Tradition Continues

Since 1929, a Gymanfa Ganu has been held in North America almost every year. The only times it didn't happen were for three years during World War II (from 1943 to 1945).

Sometimes, the Gymanfa was even held in Wales! In 1969, it was in Cardiff, and in 1974, it was in Swansea. (Even though these happened, there were still two other festivals held in North America those years, but they aren't counted in the main list.)

The Board of Trustees for the WNGGA is like the main team that keeps everything going. They remember how things have been done, choose where the yearly festivals will be, and make sure the cultural and religious standards are kept. After the festivals stopped during the war, this Board made sure the Gymanfa Ganu started up again. It has continued to be a very important way to share Welsh culture, history, and the Welsh language in the United States and Canada.