St George's Dayon 23th AprilMade by Martin Kore

St. George is the patron saint of England.

His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag.

St George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century

One of the best-known stories about Saint George is his fight with a dragon

St George is always depicted as a knight carrying a shield with a red cross (or a banner with a red cross), generally sitting upon a horse and always killing a dragon.

On the Sunday nearest to 23 April, scouts and guides throughout England parade through high streets and attend a special St George's Day service at their local church

By tradition, 23 April is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national flower.

Interesting Facts

Despite the fact that St. George has been the patron saint of England since the 14th century, only one in five people know that St. George’s Day falls on 23 April.

More than a quarter of people living in England do not even know who their patron saint is!

Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 and he died on the same day in 1616.

Mummers Plays

St. George frequently appears in Mummers' Plays during Easter and Christmas celebrations. Mummers' Plays have been performed in Britain for hundreds of years. They are folk dramas based on the legend of St. George and the Seven Champions of Christendom.

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 celebrated in Albania and Kosovo as well, is a day of joy and believing in God, people will go out and build a fire and play around it, people will bless their houses, fields, their children and everything around them with water as it was the 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.

St. George is also the patron saint of the Scout Movement.

For England, St. George's Day also marks its National Day

St. George's Day celebrate it on April 23, the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death 303 AD

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 Scout movement has been celebrating St. George's Day on April 23 since its first years, and St. George is the patron saint of many other organizations.

In the General Calendar of the Roman Rite the feast of Saint George is on April 23. 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 1969 calendar it is raised to the level of an optional "Memorial." In some countries, such as England, the rank is higher.

Observed by - Nations of which St George is the patron saint

Type - National day of England and Georgia

Date - April 23, May 6, November 23

Observances - Flying of the St George's Cross

Related to - Feast of Saint George

St George’s Day in London

1. Today is St George's Day. George is the patron saint of England so, in a sense, this is England's national day.

2. Little is known about St George, but it is believed his father, a soldier in the Roman army, was from Cappadocia, now in modern-day Turkey, and his mother from Lydda, now Israeli Lod.

3. Like his father, George entered the military and swiftly rose through the ranks. His career, and life, was put to an end by the emperor Diocletian when he protested against the persecution of the Christians. He was entombed in Palestine, where he had lived with his mother after his father's death.

• 4. Around 1,000 years later, England, whose crusaders had heard the story of St George in the Holy Land, ditched Edward the Confessor for a new patron saint and, in 1415 (the anti-French year of the battle of Agincourt), made April 23 a national feast day.

5. George was seen as a defender of the Christian faith. The fact that he had also become associated with the myth of a dragon slayer who gave his reward money to the poor did not count against him. Or that he survived being chopped to pieces, buried deep in the earth and consumed by fire as Diocletian tortured him for his faith.

6. His militaristic and noble Christianity did not just appeal to the Medieval English. George is the patron saint of Portugal, Germany, Lithuania, Malta, soldiers and - less obviously - skin diseases and syphilis (unless that is a disease you might expect one of Henry V's soldiers to have).

7. In Barcelona, where Jordi - to give him his local name - is the patron saint of Catalonia, women traditionally give their male lovers a book and, in return, receive a rose.

8. In a further

literary twist, it would also have been William Shakespeare's 440th birthday if he had not died in 1616, as did Spain's literary colossus Miguel de Cervantes.

9. Back in England, there are some - notably publicans and brewers - who want to see St George's Day made a national holiday marked with greater ceremony and, let's face it, booze. If Patrick is the patron saint of Guinness, why not cry St George for English bitters?

10. Some final food for thought: this is the best time of year for St George mushrooms, a delicacy this website suggests that can also be found in Wales.