St. George’s Day is celebrated on 23rd April annually, and is recognised as England’s national day — the anniversary of his death in 303 AD. Admired for his bravery — the patron saint of England has captivated British imaginations since the Crusades and the Hundred Years’ War. St George was adopted as patron saint in the Middle Ages by England and Catalonia, as well as by Venice, Genoa and Portugal, because he was the personification of the ideals of Christian chivalry.
Most English people have heard the age-old tale of St. George and the Dragon, but don’t know the full history behind the story.
The holiday is traditionally Christian, as the story says that St. George travelled to the city of Silene in Libya, as the city was being terrorised by a ferocious sea-dragon. The King commanded the inhabitants of the city to sacrifice their children one by one to the dragon, until inevitably came the time for the king’s own daughter to be sacrificed. St. George offered to kill the dragon only if the town converted to Christianity. Some versions of the story also say that the king offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever killed the dragon.
However, some historical evidence points to the ‘real’ St. George as living in Palestine. During the third century he is said to have joined the Roman army like his father before him, and was eventually executed for his Christian beliefs.
St. George’s Day became a national holiday in England in the early 15th century, remaining until after the union with Scotland in the late 18th century.
St. George’s Day is a day of national pride, so many people would hang up a photo of Bobby Moore holding up the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966. Believe it or not, that is the only time that England has ever won the football world cup. So, it seems only right to be proud of one of England’s greatest sporting achievements.
The music traditionally played on St. George’s Day is Edward Edgar: Pomp and Circumstance March no.1. (Land of Hope and Glory) Richard
