St. George's Day

Today is St. George's Day, England's national day to celebrate all that is English and it's patron saint. Yet, how many people actually celebrate. Unlike our fellow nations of the UK, who celebrate their respective patron saints, we in England usually let this day go by without even a thought. Why is this?

Nice work Google!

I believe it may be that a lot of us feel or are made to feel ashamed of our English past and imperialistic ways, and think celebrating this is inappropriate. Is it because the idea of some sort of English collective togetherness doesn't exist anyone? I am very proud to be from the North of England but what do I have in common with someone from Essex, for example. Maybe, the nation of England is too diverse for a common nationalistic empathy, or perhaps we only feel this when we are faced with adversity, or England manage to reach the later stages of a sporting World Cup (here's wishing).

Whatever you feel about this national day here are some facts you may or may not know:

• Despite the fact that St George has been England’s patron saint since the 14th century, a recent survey showed that only one in five people know that St George’s Day falls on April 23.

•  A popular custom in bygone years was for people to wear a red rose in their button hole, the national flower for the national day.

•  St George’s flag was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. Soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

•  St George is also considered a martyr in Islam as well as Christianity.

•  Not only is there no evidence that St George ever slayed a dragon (which seems unlikely), there’s very little evidence he ever existed at all. If he did, he was probably born in what is now modern-day Turkey, to a Turkish father serving in the Roman army and a Palestinian mother.

• St. George is said to have been beheaded for resigning his military post and protesting against his pagan leader, the Emperor Diocletian (245-313 AD), who led Rome’s persecution of Christians.

• Aside from England, other countries that celebrate St. George’s Day include Canada, Croatia, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Macedonia.