St George and The Dragon
On April 23rd ever year, the English celebrate their national Patron Saint, St George otherwise known as St George’s Day. History tells us that Saint George was born in Turkey around A.D 270 and at 17 joined the Roman army. He was noted for his bravery but protested against the Romans torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. His emblem, the red cross on a white background, is the flag of England and also part of the Union flag.
One of the best known stories about Saint George is his fight with a dragon. The story goes that a town was terrorized by a dragon and as a result, a princess was offered to appease the terrible beast. George heard about the village’s plight and rode into the village, slaying the dragon and rescuing the princess. However, it’s highly unlikely he fought a dragon and even more unlikely that he ever actually visited England, but, the English have adopted him as the dragon slaying Patron Saint of England.
Saint George is always depicted as a knight carrying a shield with a red cross generally sitting upon a horse and always killing a dragon. Traditionally the 23rd April is the day where people wear a red rose in their button hole, the national flower of England. However, the English don’t seem to really celebrate the day like the Welsh or Irish celebrate their Patron Saint days. You’re more likely to see people celebrating St Patrick’s Day rather than seeing people out on the streets celebrating St George’s Day. Shockingly, only 1 in 5 people in England actually know that St George’s Day falls on the 23rd April and more than a quarter don’t even know who the Patron Saint of England is!
With the Royal Wedding scheduled for the 29th April this year, we may see more people celebrating St George’s Day as much as those who celebrate St David’s Day or St Patrick’s Day.
Image: charington
