St George's Day

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The patron saint of England was no Englishman, but a Roman army officer born in Cappadocia (Turkey), martyred about 300 AD. The symbol of St George, a red cross on a white ground (still used today by the Red Cross) was taken by King Richard of England as a symbol, easily seen by members of his army, to enable his troops to rally together more efficiently - in the heat of battle, symbols like "lions puissant" or griffons were difficult to pick out against the general mud, blood and battlestains which accumulate on a shield. Later, George was chosen as patron saint in place of Edward the Confessor, although apart from flying the flag, the English don't seem to have celebrated the day in particular.

Midday on this day is traditionally the best time to pick dandelions for making wine.

This day is also the anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, with celebrations at Stratford on Avon.

St George is the Patron Saint of many and varied places across the world, and the date on which he is celebrated also varies. Most celebrate on 23rd April (traditionally accepted as the date of his death in 303) or the Julian equivalent, 6th May, but the country of Georgia celebrates St George’s Day on 23rd November.

In England, St George’s Day is also its National Day and it is celebrated on 23rd April. However, as with Wales and Scotland, the National Day is neither a public holiday nor a Bank Holiday. Celebrations are quite low key, although in some areas almost every house will fly St George's flag on this day.

St George is the most venerated saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and if St George’s Day falls within Lent or Holy Week in these countries, it is moved to Easter Monday.

The Feast of St George was downgraded by the Roman Catholic Church in 1969 to that of an "optional remembrance" and the solemnity of the remembrance is assigned to local observance.

"St George of England"

From the early 15th century, St George’s Day in England was a major feast on a par with Christmas. However, this level of festivity had waned by the end of the 18th century following the Act of Union which formed the United Kingdom in 1707.

St George’s Cross (the flag with a red cross on a white ground) is believed to originate from the early tunics of the Crusaders.

With an increase of nationalism in England in recent years there has been a significant increase in the awareness of St George, and a desire to be associated with him and celebrate his feast day. It's not unusual for fans to paint their faces with the Cross of St George to attend an England football match, and the sight of cars with St George's Cross flying from a jury-rigged flagpole (or the aerial) is not unusual in England during such events as the World Cup.

In 2006 the BBC had a full day of St George Events on Radio 3 and there is a growing surge of opinion, not just in England, but also in Wales and Scotland, that the feast day of each country's Patron Saints should be a Bank Holiday, with public holiday status.

The Order Of The Garter, the British Sovereign’s personal gift, has St George as its Patron Saint, and services relating to the Order are usually held in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen usually announces appointments to the Order of The Garter on 23rd April and it is not uncommon for the hymn "Jerusalem" to be sung at church services and as a popular anthem in celebration of St George.

There are a number of organisations in England which promote the saint and his feast day, including The Royal Society Of St George.

St George across the world

St George is also the Patron Saint of Bulgaria, Portugal, Aragon, Palestine, Ethiopia, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia and the Gora, as well as the cities of Beirut, Moscow, Genoa, Constantinople (Istanbul), Gozo, Modica and Venice. He is the patron saint of archers, armourers, butchers, cavalry, Crusaders, equestrians, field workers, horses, riders, saddle makers, sheep, shepherds, soldiers, the scouting movement and the Brazilian football team, Corinthians - and also of herpes, lepers and leprosy, the plague, skin diseases and syphilis!

Many Scouts in the UK participate in parades on 23rd April to mark the occasion of his feast day, during which they also renew their Scout's promise and sing the Scouts' Hymn.

In German-speaking and Slavic countries, St George's Day is traditionally regarded as the day when the first greenery of Spring appears, and in fact a lack of greenery beforehand is seen as an omen of good fortune. To mark the emergence of Spring, green plants were traditionally brought into the house. In the Southern Alps, they would 'call forth' the grass by making a lot of noise on this day.

Proverbs associated with St George's Day almost all include the idea of St George bringing grass, fish or other food with him. Some countries even regard him as the keeper of the keys of Heaven and Hell (as in this fragment of an old runic song: "In George's pocket are the keys to Heaven, in George's bosom are the keys to Hell"), though most allocate him responsibility only for the keys of Summer, believing he has the power to regulate the growth of plants and the weather.

In other parts of the world, St George's Day is often connected with the emergence of green plants. At the same time, St George's Day brings new opportunities for finding food. There are many proverbs such as the Russian "George will bring Spring" and "There is no Spring without George", the Finnish "St George comes with his fish basket" and the Estonian "With his key George makes the grass grow". Lithuanian tradition also credits St George with bringing Spring.

Across the globe there are various local traditions relating to St George and his feast day celebrations. In Bulgaria it is traditional to prepare and eat a whole lamb, a custom which is believed to date back to pre-Christian times.

In Catalonia, St George’s Day is the second most important feast of the year and it is traditional to give a rose and a book to a loved one. This tradition inspired UNESCO to declare 23rd April the International Day Of The Book, as this date is also the birth and death date (according to the Julian Calendar) of William Shakespeare (d. 1616), as well as the anniversary of the death of Spanish author, Miguel de Cervantes.

Around the world there are many Societies of St George to which people of English origin belong. These societies often organise events and gatherings which members attend, not only to celebrate St George, but as expatriates wishing to socialise.

St George, the man

Historically, little is really known about St George. He is said to have been born some time between 275 and 281 and to have died on 23rd April 303. He is reported to have been a soldier of the Roman Empire who was killed as a Christian martyr and later elevated to sainthood. There are no known factual sources, most references being hearsay, legend or myth.

According to these sources, he was the son of an army officer, joined the army himself and rose through the ranks to become a personal guard to the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. When Diocletian ordered George to participate in the persecution of Christians, George confessed his faith and criticised the decision. Diocletian was outraged, and ordered him to be tortured and executed by decapitation.

St George and the Dragon

The most famous and persistent legend surrounding him is that of "George and the Dragon". This story is believed to be of Eastern origin and to have been brought back to Britain by the Crusaders and retold in Court circles. References to the legend occur in documents dating back to the 11th century.

The traditional version of the story is that a dragon made its nest in the spring which supplied water to Lydda (or Cyrene), and the citizens needed to dislodge the dragon in order to collect water. Each time they wished to do this, they offered a human sacrifice, choosing the victim by drawing lots. When a Princess was the unfortunate loser in the draw, she was offered to the dragon - but before she was consumed George appeared, faced and slew the dragon, rescuing the Princess in the process. The grateful citizens were so appreciative that they abandoned paganism and became converts to Christianity.