St George’s Day in England remembers St George, England’s patron saint.
The anniversary of his death, which is on April 23rd, is seen as England’s national day.
According to legend, he was a soldier in the Roman army who killed a dragon and saved a princess.
While many Christians observe St George’s Day, it is not a UK bank holiday. St George’s Day was once celebrated as widely as Christmas but these celebrations diminished by the end of the 18th century after England had united with Scotland.
St George might be hailed as a national hero, but he was actually born more than 2,000 miles away. He is thought to have been born in Cappodocia (modern day Turkey) and to have died in Lydda (modern day Israel) in the Roman province of Palestine in AD 303.
King Edward III made him the Patron Saint of England when he formed the Order of the Garter in St. George’s name in 1350. The cult of the Saint was further advanced by King Henry V, at the battle of Agincourt in northern France.
In HIS Oxford Dictionary Of Saints, David Hugh Farmer explains that 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.
Celebrate with a traditional English dinner!
