April 23 marks St George's Day, England's national day. But what do we know about St George? And why did he become England's
patron saint?
THERE are many arguments about what it is to be English. Cricket, Yorkshire puddings, supping real ale on a village green, maintaining a stiff upper lip, and even queueing are considered to be real signs of Englishness.
Yet those who want to sing the praises of Englishness by celebrating St George's Day are asking for a celebration of a saint who was born in Turkey and never even came near to England.
St George is thought to have been born between 275AD and 281 AD.
Celebrations in his name take place on April 23, either because it was his date of birth, or because it was the date of his martyrdom.
He is widely considered to have been a senior officer in the Roman Army, although little is known of his life.
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One account says he became a martyr after admitting to being a Christian and suffering torture for his beliefs over several years.
Perhaps the most famous of St George's tales is he killed a dragon which had nested in a Libyan city's water supply.
Blackheath Morris Dancers perform to celebrate St Georges Day in Lewisham High Street
According to the legend, the city's people were being offered to the dragon in exchange for access to the water.
But on the day when the city's princess was to be offered up, St George appeared and slew the dragon.
The cross of St George was adopted by English soldiers during the Crusades, to help soldiers to identify one another better in battle.
England is not the only country which venerates St George, as Georgia, Catalonia in Spain, Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia all take George as their patron saint.
St George was adopted as England's patron saint in 1415, although there are records of a cult of St George predating the Norman Conquest in the 11th Century.
At first, St George's Day was celebrated on a par with Christmas Day, with a major feast on April 23, but, by the 18th Century, this tradition had fallen away.
Since then, it has been rare for major celebrations of the festival to take place, but there has been talk lately of resurrecting it.
Although the celebrations have been taking hold gradually, there are an increasing number of celebrations developing around the country.
A parade has been organised in Gravesend today, to start from the Towncentric offices in St George's Square.
Campaigners have begun pushing for St George's Day to be made into an extra bank holiday, and Romford's Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell has raised the issue in parliament.
And the Royal Society of St George held a festival of St George on Saturday.
Posted by: Harry Brown, Belvedere on 9:33am Wed 23 Apr 08
[quote]Every other religion has their day and no-one batters an eyelid![/quote]
So what religion are you then and how would celebrating St George's Day fit in with your religious beliefs?
Every other religion has their day and no-one batters an eyelid!
So what religion are you then and how would celebrating St George's Day fit in with your religious beliefs?
Posted by: Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott, Up the flagpole on 10:27am Wed 23 Apr 08
See [bold]Your Lord's[/bold] latest blog in the 'Your Shopper' section:
[bold]WHAT DOES ENGLAND MEAN FOR YOU ON THIS ST. GEORGE’S DAY?[/bold]
Posted by [bold]Lord Erastus Theobald Piggott[/bold] at 9:45am today.
[bold]Your Lord, Erastus Theobald Piggott[/bold]
See Your Lord's latest blog in the 'Your Shopper' section:
WHAT DOES ENGLAND MEAN FOR YOU ON THIS ST. GEORGE’S DAY?
Posted by Lord Erastus Theobald Piggott at 9:45am today.
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