St George's Day
When is St George’s Day?
St George’s Day is celebrated on 23rd April every year, however, the Church of England states in its rules that no saints' day should be celebrated between Palm Sunday and the Sunday after Easter Day. Therefore, if 23rd April falls in that period, celebrations are moved to after this date.
What is St George’s Day?
St George’s Day was a Christian soldier in the Roman army. He was beheaded for his strong beliefs after protesting against Christians being persecuted in Rome. His notoriety earned him the reputation of being extremely brave when the crusaders returned from war in the 12th century, and he was adopted as a role model and special protector. The emblem of the red cross was adopted as the flag which we know now as the red cross of England on a white background, as these were his battle colours.
The day is celebrated modestly in England, being not widely known about or upheld, with any event being based around knights and dragons, or princess being rescued. Jousting, falconry, dancing and festivals do take place across England but tend to be low key.
A red cross on a white background (the flag for England) has become the well-known emblem for St George’s Day, but is now more widely accepted for sports events such as football or rugby.
Why is St George’s Day on 23rd April?
St George's Day is marked on 23rd April as it is the anniversary of his death in 303 AD.
When was St George’s Day first celebrated?
There are plenty of myths about St George, but the real St George was born in the 3rd century in Turkey. After the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 he was declared Patron Saint of England by King Henry V when tales of his bravery came back with the crusaders.
Interesting facts about St George’s Day
Just 40% of people surveyed knew that St George is the patron saint of England, and many believe that 23rd April should be declared a bank holiday.
St George is said to have protected the king’s daughter from being sacrificed to a legendary dragon from medieval times, who tormented the land. He rescued not the only the princess, but saved the whole nation according to legend.
St George is also patron saint of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia.
