St Georges Day: A Day for the English

A soldier in the Roman army had his final opportunity to give up his faith when commanded by Emperor Diocletian, following an empire wide decree that soldiers could no longer follow Christianity. St. George allegedly turned down riches and land in exchange for renouncing Christianity, and remained adamant in his devotion which saw him lose his head, and in doing so become a Christian martyr. His story was told time and time again and the legend grew.

So well known was St. George that nearly 900 years later in 1222 he took over from Edward the Confessor as the patron saint of England, with the day of his death becoming a national feast day in 1415. It was at the time of his inauguration as patron saint that he was credited with the slaying of a dragon which had been terrorizing a town in England. As Legend has it, on hearing about the dragon he rode into the village, and slew it, saving the princess and being deemed an all round good chap by the village folk freed from fire-breathing tyranny. Of course dragons are mythical beasts and whilst the stories stuck, it is more likely that the term dragon was used to signify the devil, a common association in the middle ages.The devil in this case being the man who had tried to break St. George’s faith.

The day used to be much celebrated in England, however today St Georges Day in England is a day like any other and is not seen as worthy of celebration by many. It is strange really for the English are proud of their country however England does not have a National Day. Scotland celebrates St. Andrew’s Day, the Welsh celebrate St. David’s Day, and virtually everyone in the world joins in and raises glasses to celebrate Ireland’s St. Patrick. So what is up with the English?

England has been trying for some time to keep the “United” in United Kingdom with the inclusion of Scotland and Wales. To celebrate ones Englishness when a country is trying to be British may be considered insensitive to those north and west of the border. This was most definitely the case in the 18^th Century when Scotland joined England and the celebration was downplayed, however recently with both Scotland and Wales pushing for a greater degree of autonomy, it may send out the wrong signals. The fact that the national emblem of Wales is a dragon does not help the cause. However, united we are and there’s nothing wrong with expressing ones individualism whilst still being part of something bigger and more important.

There have been calls to make St. Georges Day a national holiday in England with the movement picking up momentum in the past couple of years with notable endorsements from the mayor of London, MPs, and most recently Sir Ian Botham. The movement is for the creation of a National Day on 23^rd April and to also have this as a Bank Holiday, something that England can certainly do with having only 8 (one of the lowest bank holiday counts in Europe). Getting another bank holiday is hard work however, and killing a dragon, even a figurative one, is no guarantee of a day off.

There is some debate as to whether St. George should be the man for the job, having not so much as set foot in England. He was selected as a symbol of bravery and for standing up for what is right. However until the day is fully accepted as a national day of celebration it is necessary to head over the English Channel to the continent where they are a bit more used to having days off in the name of country and religion.

You could visit any of Portugal, Macedonia, Georgia, Serbia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania or Bosnia, however if you want to go to a place that fully embraces the day then it must be Catalonia in Spain. The Catalan people treat the day as one of the most important festivals of the year, when the same saint of is celebrated on La Diada de Sant Jordi in Catalonia.

Also known as the day of the rose and the day of the book - El Dia del Llibre - stepping out into the street in Barcelona or the province of Catalonia will see you come immediately face to face with stalls selling roses and books which appear on virtually every street corner for the day. Interestingly, the roses sold are red, white and blue which to an outsider could well suggest a celebration of the English Saint.

In Catalonia the day resembles St. Valentine’s Day, however is far more important and treated as such by the locals. It is a day to celebrate romance and to respect loved ones and those who are respected. As with many such celebrations it has a long history with roses being given since the 15th Century as a symbol of love, however more recently this has been paired with the giving of a book. Back in 1923 an opportunistic bookseller decided to promote the day as a time to celebrate the simultaneous deaths of two literary giants; William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes who both died on 23^rd April in 1616. Coincidentally William Shakespeare was also born on 23rd April.

There will be few who have not heard of William Shakespeare but for those a little rusty on literature Miguel Cervantes is best known for his epic novel Don Quixote, widely regarded as the first modern novel and also one of the greatest books ever written.

The Catalans love a bit of romance and the highly cultured region count not resist the chance to celebrate romance, love and literacy. Ever since, the day has been commemorated with the giving of a rose and a book, traditionally with a rose being given to a girl which is reciprocated with the giving of a book, although it is common for both gifts to be given by both sexes.

The extent of the celebration is best quantified with numbers. In Catalonia over half of the books sold every year take place on this one day, and by the time that the clocks strike midnight over 800,000 books and four million roses have been sold. Of course if you are in Barcelona you will appreciate this, as virtually all people are seen carrying a rose home for a loved one. The tradition has already worked its way around the globe, with UNESCO adopting the Catalan day of celebration in 1995 as World Book and Copyright Day. The tradition however does not appear to have made it over to England, where the traditional red rose which used to be worn to celebrate the saint is hardly ever seen.

We should take note from the Catalans, and embrace St. George and have a national celebration for England. Being the birthday and day of the death of one of the English greats makes it as good a day as any to celebrate Englishness.

To give your support for the formal adoption of a National Day to join with virtually all other countries on the planet you can add your support to the million or so others who have already voted and pledged their support at www.stgeorgesday.com

The movement already has the backing of some major names and politicians however it is down to the general public and the weight of popular opinion for a National Day to come into effect, and with any luck another Bank Holiday to boot.

Of course, since you were probably not aware of this monumental day and its significance you will probably not have bought a rose and a book for your loved one. However it’s never too late to demonstrate your love and your sensitive side by buying your loved one a rose......... and naturally a book from Amazon!