St George's Day
| 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 and Georgia |
| Date | 23 April, 24 April, 6 May, 23 November |
| Observances | Flying of the St George's Cross |
| Related to | Feast of Saint George |
St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint. St George's Day is also England's National Day.
Most countries which observe St George's Day celebrate it on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303 AD. This day is May 6 for Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarists, who use the Julian calendar.
Contents |
Celebrations
Countries that celebrate St George's Day include England, Portugal, Cyprus, Greece, Georgia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Republic of Macedonia. Cities include Moscow in Russia, Genova in Italy, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Beirut in Lebanon, Qormi and Victoria in Malta and many others. It is also celebrated in the old kingdoms and counties of the Crown of Aragon in Spain—Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and Palestine.
St George's Day is known as the Feast of Saint George by Palestinians and is celebrated in the Monastery of Saint George in al-Khader, near Bethlehem. It is also known as Georgemas.[1]
Besides the 23 April feast, some Orthodox Churches have additional feasts dedicated to St George. The country of Georgia celebrates the feast St George on 10 November (Julian Calendar), which currently falls on 23 November (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 26 November (Julian Calendar), which currently falls on the Gregorian 9 December.
In the General Calendar of the Roman Rite the feast of Saint George is on 23 April. In the Tridentine Calendar it was given the rank of "Semidouble". In Pope Pius XII's 1955 calendar this rank is reduced to "Simple." In Pope John XXIII's 1960 calendar the celebration to just a "Commemoration." In Pope Paul VI's revision of the calendar, that came into force in 1969, it was given the equivalent rank of a "Memorial", of optional use. In some countries, such as England, the rank is higher.
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.
UNESCO declared this day the International Day of the Book, since 23 April 1616 was 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).
In Catholic and Protestant countries
England
St George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century.[2] However, this tradition had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland.[3] 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, Conservative MP for Romford, has been putting the argument forward in the House of Commons to make St George's Day a public holiday.
A traditional custom at this time was to wear a red rose in one's lapel, though with changes in fashion this is no longer common. Another custom is to fly or adorn the St George's Cross flag in some way: pubs in particular can be seen on 23 April 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, along with far-right political parties such as the BNP means that this tradition is rare outside this context. 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 encouraging celebrations. 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.[4] However there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested include Edmund the Martyr,[5] Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, or Saint Alban, with the latter having topped a BBC Radio 4 poll on the subject.[6]
In early 2009 Mayor of London Boris Johnson spearheaded a campaign to encourage the celebration of St George's Day.
Hungary
In Hungary every day is a nameday of one or more names. Some names have several namedays in the calendar, but everyone picks and celebrates only one. 24 April is the day of Saint George the dragonkiller thus it's the nameday of György and Györgyi. It's also the Day of Police.
Lebanon
St George's Day is celebrated throughout Lebanon, but especially in towns and villages where churches for St George have been erected.
Spain
Saint George is associated with several areas of Spain. He is the patron saint of the former Crown of Aragon, since King Peter I of Aragon won the Battle of Alcoraz with his patronage.[1] The saint is also patron of several cities. In most cases, the reason for those cities' relation with the Saint as their holy Patron is linked to historic events which happened during the "Reconquista."
Spanish localities
Saint George is the patron saint of several Spanish towns and cities, mainly belonging to the territories added to the old kingdoms of Castille, Leon and Aragon during the "Reconquista". Alcoy is an example in the current Autonomous Community of Valencia, where Saint George is commemorated at a thanksgiving celebration for the proclaimed aid the Saint provided to the Christians troops fighting the Muslims in the siege of the city. Its citizens commemorate the day with a festivity in which thousands of people parade in medieval costumes, forming two "armies" of Moors and Christians and re-enacting the siege.
Cáceres, in western Spain, has chosen Saint George's patronage since 1229 A.D. The commemoration of the festivity is strongly centered in the world of legends as well as in history. A re-enactment parade of Moorish and Christians soldiers is also held there, though the core of the commemoration focuses mainly on the legend of Saint George slaying a dragon to save a princess ( see: Saint George and the Dragon).
Aragon
As in the rest of the ancient Crown of Aragon, the Feast of St George is celebrated enthusiastically in the Community of Aragon, being the country's patron saint and its national day. On 23 April, Aragon celebrates its "Diya d'Aragón" (Day of Aragon) in commemoration of the Battle of Alcoraz (Baralla d'Alcoraz in Aragoneese), on which Huesca was conquered by the Aragonese army and in which tradition says that St George appeared at a critical moment for the Christian Army, aiding them to win it for the "True Faith".
As in Catalonia, roses and books are exchanged among individuals, often bearing ribbons with the colors of Aragon's flag.
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 held on 23 April, with similarities to Valentine's Day and some unique twists that reflect the antiquity of the celebrations. 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—"a rose for love and a book forever." In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is also customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616. Barcelona is the publishing capital of both Catalan and Spanish languages and the combination of love and literacy was quickly adopted.
In 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 800,000 books will have been purchased. Most women will carry 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, is performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona. Many book stores and cafes host readings by authors (including 24-hour marathon readings of Cervantes' "Don Quixote"). Street performers and musicians in public squares add to the day's atmosphere.
23 April is also the only day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona's principal government building, is open to the public. The interior is decorated with roses to honour Saint George.
Catalonia exported its tradition of the book and the rose to the rest of the world. In 1995, the UNESCO adopted 23 April as World Book and Copyright Day.
Valencia
Valencia celebrates St George's Day with different intensity but in several zones it has similarities to Valentine's Day, like in Catalonia. Saint George is a blessing day, and people gather all around for his blessing.
Canada
St George's Day is a provincial government holiday in Newfoundland, Canada.
In Orthodox countries
If St George's Day (or any Saint's Day) falls during Holy Week or on Easter Day it is observed on Easter Monday.
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 closed and everyone eats Georgian traditional food, and goes to church.
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.
Serbia
In Serbian St George's Day is called Đurđevdan (Cyrillic: Ђурђевдан) and is celebrated on 6 May every year, as the Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian, Old Style Calendar. St George's Day is one of the most common Slavas (family patron day) among the Serbs, celebrated not only in Serbia, but also in Montenegro, Republika Srpska and other Serbian lands. Đurđevdan is also celebrated by both Orthodox and Muslim Roma and Muslim Gorani. Đurđevdan is celebrated, especially, in the areas of Raška in Serbia. Apart from being the Slava of many families, St George's Day is marked by morning picnics, music, and folk dances.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
In Bosnia and Herzegovina St George's Day is also called Đurđevdan 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 folk song Đurđevdan popularised by Bijelo Dugme as well as Meša Selimović's novel Death and the Dervish.
Albania and Kosovo
In Albania and Kosovo, St George's day is celebrated among Albanians as a day of joy and believing in God; people will go out and build a fire and play around it, and they will bless their houses, fields, their children and everything around them with water as if it were holy water. St George's Day in Albania and Kosovo is celebrated on the 6th of May and is called Shën Gjergji or Shëngjergji and is a day where people celebrate the blessing of God.
Russia
Russian Orthodox Church, which uses Julian Calendar, has two important feasts of Saint George. Besides 23 April (6 May 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 9 December. 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).
Organisations
The Scout movement has been celebrating St George's Day on 23 April since its first years, and St George is the patron saint of many other organizations.
References in literature
In the book Dracula by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St George's Day, beginning at midnight. The date of St George's Day presented in the book, May 5 (on the Western, Gregorian Calendar), is St George's Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches.
(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?"
References
- ↑ Funk & Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary of the English Language (New York, 1943, p. 1023).
- ↑ Tradition English Festivals
- ↑ "Who is St George?". Independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/the-big-question-who-was-st-george-and-why-is-celebrating-him-so-contentious-1672583.html. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
- ↑ Crutchlow, Dayle (2006-07-05). "Hands off our patron saint, by George!". Coventry Telegraph. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/tm_objectid=17335208&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=hands-off-our-patron-saint--by-george---name_page.html. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ↑ A new Patron Saint of England? (2008-06-26). "Suffolk - Community - A new Patron Saint of England?". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2006/09/21/st_edmund_2006_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
- ↑ "Radio 4 - Today - St Alban". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/features/results_stgeorge.shtml. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
External links
- St George's Day Bake and Brew
- 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
- Saint George, BBC's page
Bank holiday petition
- EDM1083, MPs sign 'Early Day Motion' (EDM) calling for Bank Holiday on St George's Day
- 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'.
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