St George's Day
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| St George's Day | |
 Saint George oil painting by Raphael |
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| Observed by | Nations of which St George is the patron saint |
|---|---|
| Type | National day of England |
| Date | April 23, May 6, November 23 |
| Observances | Flying of the St George's Cross |
St George's Day is celebrated by several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities, of which Saint George is the patron saint, including England, the old kingdoms and counties of the Crown of Aragon in Spain - Aragon, Catalonia and Valencia; Portugal, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, and the city of Moscow in Russia, Genova in Italy, Ljubljana in Slovenia and many others.
St. George's Day (or the Feast of St. George) is also known as Georgemas.[1]
For England, St. George's Day also marks its National Day. Most countries who observe St. George's Day, celebrate it on April 23, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303 A.D. St. George's Day is a provincial government holiday in Newfoundland, Canada.
For those Eastern Orthodox Churches that follow the Julian Calendar (the Old calendarists), the April 23 (Julian Calendar) date of St George's Day falls on May 6 of the Gregorian Calendar in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Besides the April 23 feast, some Orthodox Churches have additional feasts dedicated to St George. The country of Georgia celebrates the feast St George on November 10 (Julian Calendar), which currently falls on November 23 (Gregorian Calendar). The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the dedication of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav I the Wise in 1051 on November 26 (Julian Calendar), which currently falls on the Gregorian December 9.
The Scout movement has been celebrating St. George's Day on April 23 since its first years.
In the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Church, April 23 has long been Saint George's feast day. Today, his feast day as of 1969 is classified as an optional memorial, a some-what downgraded status compared to that of a Commemoration as found in the calendar as revised by Pope John XXIII in 1960 (see the General Roman Calendar of 1962),[2] and to a Semi-Double feast (see the General Roman Calendar as in 1954). The solemnity of his commemoration depending largely upon local observance. However, Traditional Roman Catholics continue to commemorate the feast day of "Saint George, Martyr", either as a Semi-Double feast or Commemoration.
St George's feast is ranked higher in England and in certain other regions. It is the second most important National Feast in Catalonia, where the day is known in Catalan as La Diada de Sant Jordi and it is traditional to give a rose and a book to a loved one. This tradition inspired UNESCO to declare this the International Day of the Book, since April 23, 1616 was also the date of death of both the English playwright William Shakespeare (according to the Julian calendar) and the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (according to the Gregorian calendar).
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[edit] St. George's Day in Catholic and Protestant countries
[edit] St. George's Day in England
Legend has it that St George was born in Coventry, at Caludon Castle in Wyken.[1] although St. George's Day is not celebrated as much in England as other National Days are around the world; it is simply acknowledged. It was once a major feast in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. However, this tradition had waned by the end of the 18th century. In recent years the popularity of St. George's Day appears to be increasing gradually. BBC Radio 3 had a full programme of St. George's Day events in 2006, and Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford, has been putting the argument forward in the House of Commons to make St. George's Day a public holiday. Although Saint George is the Patron Saint of England, it is believed that St. George was not English and it is not certain that he ever visited England.
A traditional custom at this time was to wear a red rose in one's lapel, though with changes in fashion this is not as widely done. Another custom is to fly or adorn the St. George's Cross flag in some way: pubs in particular can be seen on April 23 festooned with garlands of St. George's crosses. However, the modern association of the St. George's Cross with sports such as football, cricket and rugby means that this tradition too is losing popularity with people who do not associate themselves with those sports. It is customary for the hymn "Jerusalem" to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on St. George's Day, or on the Sunday closest to it.
There is a growing reaction to the recent indifference to St. George's Day. Organizations such as English Heritage, and the Royal Society of Saint George (a non-political English national society founded in 1894) have been joined by the more prominent St. George's Day Events company (founded in 2002), with the specific aim of encouraging celebrations. They seem to be having some effect. On the other hand, there have also been calls to replace St. George as patron saint of England, on the grounds that he was an obscure figure who had no direct connection with the country. However there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested include St. Edmund, [3] St. Cuthbert, or St. Alban, with the latter having topped a BBC Radio 4 poll on the subject.[4]
St. George is also the patron saint of the Scouting movement. Many Scout troops in the United Kingdom take part in a St. George's Day Parade on the nearest Sunday to April 23. A message from the Chief Scout is read out and the Scout Hymn is sung. A "renewal of promise" then takes place where the Scouts renew the Scout's Promise made at joining and at all Scout meetings. Many schools around the UK do allow students to wear their scouting uniforms in replace of their school uniforms for that one day.
St. George's Day is traditionally the occasion when the Queen announces new appointments to the Order of the Garter.
[edit] St. George's Day in Lebanon
St. George's Day is celebrated throughout Lebanon, but especially in towns and villages where churches for St. Georges had been erected. Religious processions are common in villages that have chosen St. George as their patron saint as well as in Beirut's three catherdrals that are dedicated to Saint George.
[edit] St. George's Day in Spain
St. George's Day is celebrated in all the Spanish autonomous communities from the old Crown of Aragon: Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, with different intensity. St. George is the patron saint of Aragon, where he is known as San Jorge.
[edit] St. George's Day in Catalonia
La Diada de Sant Jordi, also known as el dia de la rosa (The Day of the Rose) or el dia del llibre (The Day of the Book) is a Catalan holiday celebrated on April 23 similar to Valentine's Day with some unique twists that show the ancient practice of this day. The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts, loved ones and respected ones. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men a book to celebrate the occasion. In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition. In 1923, a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to honour the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on April 23, 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital in both Catalan and Spanish and this heady one-two punch of love and literacy was quickly adopted.
On Barcelona's most visited street, La Rambla, and all over Catalonia, thousands of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are hastily set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 400,000 books would have been purchased in the name of love. You will be hard-pressed to find a woman without a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.
The sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, will be performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume. And many book stores and cafes host readings by noted authors (look out for 24-hour marathon readings of Cervantes' "Don Quixote"). And there will be a variety of street performers and musicians on hand to add a romantic ambience to nearly every public square and plaza.
Additionally, April 23rd is the only day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona's principal government building, is open to the public. Inside this Gothic architectural masterpiece you'll see huge displays of roses created to honour Saint George.
Catalonia has exported this tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world. In 1995, the UNESCO adopted April 23rd as World Book and Copyright Day.
[edit] St. George's Day in Orthodox countries
If St. George's Day (or any Saint's Day) falls during Lent or on Easter Day it is observed on Easter Monday.
[edit] St. George's Day in Georgia
Georgians call St. George's day Giorgoba. It is celebrated every year on 23 November (November 10 on Julian Calendar). It's a very important day for Georgians, schools and Universities are canceled and everyone eats Georgian traditional food, and goes to church.
[edit] St. George's Day in Bulgaria
Possibly the most celebrated name day in the country, St George's Day (Гергьовден, Gergyovden) is a public holiday that takes place on 6 May each year. A common ritual is to prepare and eat a whole lamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related to Slavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that St. George is the patron saint of shepherds.
St. George's Day is also the Day of the Bulgarian Army, made official with a decree of Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria on 9 January 1880. Parades are organised in the capital Sofia to present the best of the army's equipment and manpower.
[edit] St. George's Day in Serbia
In Serbia St. George's Day is called Đurđevdan (Serbian: Ђурђевдан) and is celebrated on 6 May every year. Đurđevdan is celebrated by Serbs and Gorani not only in Serbia, but also in Montenegro. Đurđevdan is celebrated, especially, in the areas of Raska in Serbia.
[edit] St. George's Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina St. George's Day is called Đurđevdan (Bosnian) and is celebrated by Bosnian Serbs and Roma (both Orthodox and Muslim), but also has been celebrated by the other ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Đurđevdan's widespread appeal can be seen in the song Đurđevdan by Bijelo Dugme as well as Meša Selimović's novel Death and the Dervish. The widespread appeal is often seen as stemming from the pre-Christian roots of the spring holiday.
[edit] St. George's Day in Kosovo
In Kosovo St. George's day is called Shëngjergj (Albanian) and it's celebrated mostly among the Roma minority as a spring festival. The day is marked by picnics, music, and folk games.
[edit] St. George's Day in Russia
Russian Orthodox Church, which uses Julian Calendar, has two important feasts of Saint George. Besides the April 23 (which falls on May 6 of Gregorian Calendar) feast, common for all Christendom, Russians also celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav I the Wise (1051) of November 26 (Julian Calendar), which currently falls on December 9. One of the Russian forms of the name George being Yuri, the two feasts are popularly known as Vesenniy Yuriev Den (Yuri's Day in the Spring) and Osenniy Yuriev Den (Yuri's Day in the Fall).
[edit] References in literature
In the book Dracula by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St. George's Day, beginning at midnight. It should however be noted that the date of St. George's Day presented in the book, May 5th (on the Western, i.e. Gregorian Calendar), is St. George's Day observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches (i.e., April 23 of the Julian Calendar, the difference between Gregorian and Julian calendars being 12 days in 1897, one day less than it is in 20th-21st centuries).
(Excerpt from Dracula, 1897) "Do you know what day it is?" I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: "Oh, yes! I know that, I know that! but do you know what day it is?" On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: "It is the eve of St George's Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?"
[edit] References
- ^ Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the English Language (New York, 1943, p. 1023).
- ^ *1962 edition of the Roman Missal, page 508
- ^ BBC - Suffolk - Community - A new Patron Saint of England?
- ^ BBC - Radio 4 - Today - St Alban
[edit] External links
- [http://www.stgeorgesday.com A site for England
- St. George Unofficial Bank Holiday, a list of events, history of the day and free 'Happy St George's Day' e-cards
- BBC Website: St George holiday 'inevitable'.
- The Royal Society of Saint George website
- St George's Day Events - Official Website for Tourism in England
- St George's Day, A collection of websites by The Guardian
- The Royal Aragonese Order of The Knights of Saint George
