St George's Day is England's national day and is celebrated
on April 23 each year. St George is England’s patron saint. Legend has it that
St George slayed a dragon and saved a princess from death. What a guy!
St George was a Christian martyr and represents traditional
English chivalry and bravery. The strange but true fact is that he wasn't actually
English at all and probably never set foot in England’s green and pleasant
land. Never-the-less, the English adopted him and made him the symbol of the
nation.
St George was thought to have been born in Cappadocia, the
area now known as Turkey, in around the year 280. He was a well-respected soldier
in the Roman army. However, he protested against the Emperor’s persecution of
Christians and was later imprisoned, tortured, paraded through the streets and finally
beheaded in Palestine on April 23, 303. He stayed loyal to his faith throughout.
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In 1222 the Council of Oxford declared April 23rd to be St
George’s Day but it wasn’t until 1348 that St George became the Patron Saint of
England.
St George's red cross emblem on a white background was
adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century.
The king's soldiers wore it on their uniforms during battle to avoid confusion.
This symbol has carried on as England's flag and forms part of the Union Jack, the
flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
In 1415, St George’s Day was declared a national feast day
and holiday in England and was celebrated in grand style, much like we
celebrate Christmas today. In the 18th century celebrations waned after England
united with Scotland in 1707. Nowadays, people go to work as normal and the day
is largely ignored.
In recent years there has been a campaign to make the day a
national holiday in England again. However, a report in 2012 found that each
bank holiday costs Britain £2.4bn in lost work so there is an argument against
establishing another official day off. Campaigners argue for an extra day’s
holiday as Ireland gets a bank holiday for St Patrick’s Day and Scotland gets a
day off for St Andrew’s Day.
Regardless, some passionate English fans mark the day across
the country with parades and dancing, flag waving and displaying the Red Rose, England's
national flower, on their lapels. Pubs and Restaurants usually get into the
spirit of the day.
So did St George really fight a dragon? The fairytale of St
George and the dragon has captivated millions of children over the years. Legend
says that the town of Silene in Libya used to be guarded by a ferocious dragon.
In order to get water, residents had to offer a sacrifice each day, chosen by
the townsfolk. One day, they agreed to offer their princess up for sacrifice. On
the day she was due to be killed, a knight from the Crusades came riding by on
his white horse, dismounted, drew his sword and killed the dragon, saving her
life. It’s said that as a mark of their gratitude to St George the people of
Silene apparently converted to Christianity.
St George is not even exclusively England’s patron saint.
His iconography and coat of arms can be found on flags in countries and cities
across the world. Places including Portugal, Lithuania, Romania, Germany,
Greece, Istanbul and Ethiopia also celebrate him.
In Britain, St George has also inspired medals for bravery.
During the Second World War, King George VI established the George Cross, the
highest such award that a civilian can earn. The George Medal is second behind
it. Both medals depict the patron saint on horseback slaying the dragon.
St George's flag is always present at English football,
cricket and rugby matches and waved by millions of patriotic supporters.
Celebrate St George's Day in style with red and white leather handbags
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