VENEDOCIA, OH (WLIO) - Venedocia celebrated their faith and Welsh heritage through a night of song on Sunday.
For the 10th year, the Salem Presbyterian Church welcomed worshippers from around the region and other states to Gymnafa Ganu, a service where the congregation sings along to Welsh hymns in both English and the native language.
The town was originally settled by Welsh families in the 1800s. Though music is important to all religions and their denominations, the Welsh tradition of church choir has a very distinct style.
Photo from 106th Gymanfa Ganu in Venedocia, OH.
"You sing them loud. You sing them very very loud. And they're very proud of their ability to four-part musical choral harmony and I think that's really really special. I'm a choir director back at home, and being able to just stand and wave my arms and the singers really take care of most of the singing is really really special," said Ben Williams, the director and conductor of the evening.
Over the course of the night, the congregation sang 15 separate hymns and a few other songs.
