Happy St Georges Day

[cherryblossom]

Happy St Georges day, to any other fellow English folk out there. Goodness me, it's hard to keep up, when everything happens at once!!

 

[cherryblossom]

 

[KP the nut]

Happy St Georges Day, H has hung the English flag in the window. It is such a shame it seems if you fly the English flag it is seen as racist.

 

[Froggie]

Hi CB and KP, I love stories (history) on knights, could one of you fill me in on St-Georges

 

[cherryblossom]

Hi Froggie. St George is the patron Saint of England. St Georges day is traditionally celebrated as 23th April, which is generally accepted as the date of his death in in 303AD. Although the date is sometimes moved around due to Easter, the traditional day to celebrate St George is 23rd April. Many other Countries and Cities also celebrate St Georges day.

St George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. Prior to that St George was said to have been referred to by Alfred the Great, and several churches show dedications to St George. Edward III (1327–1377) put his Order of the Garter under the banner of St. George. This order is still the foremost order of knighthood in England and St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle was built by Edward IV and Henry VII in honour of the order. The badge of the Order shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon.

The tradition of celebration St George's day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland. But many, including some MPs and Boris Johnson (mayor of London), want to bring the tradition of celebrating St Georges day back by making St Georges day a public holiday.

 

[Froggie]

many thanks for such a great resumé on St Georges really truly appreciate the time you took for me

 

[anni]

Oh dear- I loved St. George's Day. Why is it seen as racist by some?

 

[KP the nut]

Why is it seen as racist by some?

The English flag has become the symbol of extreme right organisations eg EDL (English Defence League), EBF (English Border Front) and NP (National Party) to name a couple.

 

[anni]

Really?? That's just rotten!! It's just plain annoying when a traditional symbol for something gets usurped for other purposes-the Union Jack ( is it still called that over there? Hate to be stone cold ignornant on this stuff ) has always seemed just so ANCIENT as to seem immovable, you know? I'm a terrible history buff ( War of the Roses a fav )so perhaps a little predjudiced on the subject but it's to me just the symbol of HISTORY happening, and having been built, and why we are who we are and what England is ( those of us with ancestry from the UK )- just a thing kind of immovable through time. I'm not a Brit so can't say but if I were I'd sure as heck fly it at every possible chance just to sort of take it back. I'd put one out here for St. George's Day, but my son tells me when he hung his in his dorm room ( he's a Brit ) someone mistook it for the southern confederate flag ( ???? ) and he almost got mugged.

We have something a little similar here, but it's with a different take. The conservatives kind of 'took over' ours, to where it became a symbol of what THEY stood for, not what we all stood for anymore. It shifted slightly back post-9-11 but still is a tad that way.

 

[anonymous]

Look who I saw this morning. St George on his white charger waiting to slay dragons.

HAPPY ST GEORGES DAY 2014

 

[digger]

Some background on St George for those who are interested http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/apr/23/hewasbornin

...well I found it interesting anyway...

 

[Tinyflame]

Who couldn't love a knight on a white horse? :)

I do remember years go, a picture (drawing) where the dragon was slain but in that one St. George was flat on his back on the ground! Though I remember for some unknown reason always 'liking' St George as a kid (maybe because of the horse? :) ), when I saw it later that picture really reminded me of ptsd.