St George’s Day - What’s It All About?
To most of us, St George’s Day is something celebrated by tattooed fat men holding firm to England’s bulldog spirit. Yet in truth, we should know better. Too many of us are guilty of stereotyping. We see St George’s flags adorning both the chavy pubs and the polo necks that fill their rafters on a Friday night. Then, on the back of that, we write off St George’s Day as something nigh-on fascist. We couldn’t be more wrong. Indeed, to this day, St George’s story rings true with our 21st-century beliefs. Here, we look at the legend of England’s patron saint.
Born in around 270 in Cappadocia - that’s now Eastern Turkey to me and you - he was a Christian. Nothing unusual there, except at the age of 17 he joined the Roman army, serving under the pagan Emperor, Diocletian. Despite being renowned for his bravery, things started going Pete Tong when Diocletian began persecuting Christians.
Remaining true to his own Christianity, Georgey Boy pleaded in vain to have their lives spared. Sadly, he wasn’t only unsuccessful, but in an effort to make him deny his faith, Diocletian then imprisoned and tortured the man. Showing incredible courage and a massive pair of kahunas, St George never relinquished his religion. He was finally beheaded near Lydda, in Palestine, on 23rd April, 303.
Interestingly, it wasn’t until the 12th century that St George gained recognition. It’s thought, for example, that Richard the Lion Heart adopted the St George’s flag at about this time and that his soldiers wore it on their tunics to help avoid friendly fire. Plus, it was during this period that George received major kudos for famously slaying the dragon.
Speaking of which, there are numerous versions of this particular episode, with only a few common themes running throughout. Most accounts do agree there was a town terrorised by a dragon, and that a young princess was offered as a sacrifice. They also agree George rode into the village, before slaying his scaly foe. Of course, in reality this is a typical medieval tale that uses a mythical beast as an incarnation of the devil. As such, it essentially boils the story down to an old-fashioned account of good versus evil, God versus the devil and right versus wrong.
Nevertheless, following St George’s promotion into the national conscious, the date of his execution was declared St George’s Day by the Council of Oxford in 1222. At some point in the 14th century, he also replaced St Edmund the Martyr as England’s patron saint. And in 1415, the 23rd April was made a national feast day.
Since then, however, celebrations have been met with increasing indifference as years pass. It’s led to recent efforts being made to give the day some much-needed oomph, with the likes of English Heritage and Boris Johnson spearheading campaigns. If you’re in agreement with ol’ Boris and you like the idea of paying more attention to the day, there’s always the option of treating your loved ones to some St George’s Day gifts. Online you’ll find plenty of England gifts, ranging from personalised mugs to football calendars and diaries.
Gone Digging have a range of England gifts that will be treasured as much their country! From football books, to football diaries, to newspapers, to flag mugs, we’ve got something to make any English patriot even prouder.
Article Source: i2 Article Directory (www.i2articledirectory.info)