| Saint George's Day | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observed by | Churches Countries and regions
|
| Type | Feast day;national day of England,national day of Aragon, cultural and romantic national holiday in Catalonia |
| Observances | Church services, flying of theSt. George's Cross |
| Date | 23 April, 24 April, 6 May, 23 November, 25 January |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | George's Day in Spring George's Day in Autumn Catalan Diada de Sant Jordi English Saint George's Day Đurđevdan Palestinian Feast of Saint George |
Saint George's Day is thefeast day ofSaint George, celebrated byChristian churches, countries, regions, and cities of which he is thepatron saint, includingAlbania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,England,Ethiopia,Greece,Georgia,Portugal,Romania,Serbia,Syria,Palestine,Lebanon,Catalonia,Alcoi,Aragon,Genoa, andRio de Janeiro.[1]
Saint George's Day is usually celebrated on 23 April,[a] the traditionally accepted date of the saint's death in theDiocletianic Persecution. However Saint’s days are not observed if they fall between Palm Sunday and the second Sunday of Easter, they will then be celebrated the following Monday.[2]
In thecalendar of theLutheran Churches, those of theAnglican Communion, and the General Calendar of theRoman Rite, the feast of Saint George is normally celebrated on 23 April.[3][4] SinceEaster often falls close to Saint George's Day, the church celebration of the feast may be moved from 23 April: for 2011, 2014, 2019, 2022 and 2025 theLutheran,Anglican andCatholic calendars celebrated Saint George's Day on the first available weekday after theOctave of Easter (seeEaster Week) (2 May 2011, 28 April 2014, 29 April 2019, 25 April 2022 and 28 April 2025 respectively).[5][6][7]
Common Worship says "When St George's Day ... falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is transferred to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter"[8] but it does not say what to do if that day is 25 April – normally St Mark's Day. This will next occur in 2033.
The church celebrations of nearly all saints' days are transferred if they fall on a Sunday (because Sunday is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection, which is far more important than a saint's commemoration).
In fact, despite the rule above, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales celebrated St George's Day on Tuesday 26 April 2022,[9] with the feast day ofSt Mark taking precedence and being celebrated on Monday 25 April. TheChurch of England's Common Worship lectionary for 2022 had the same dates, with St George's Day being celebrated on Tuesday 26 April, according to the image of the physical book shown on social media.
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Similarly, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the feast moves accordingly to the first Monday after Easter or, as it is sometimes called, to the Monday ofBright Week. Besides the 23 April feast, some Orthodox Churches have additional feasts dedicated to St George. The country ofGeorgia celebrates the feast of St George on 23 April and, more prominently, 10 November (Julian calendar), which until the year 2100 fall on 6 May and 23 November (Gregorian calendar), respectively.[10] TheRussian Orthodox Church celebrates the dedication of the Church of St George inKiev byYaroslav the Wise in 1051 on 26 November (Julian calendar), which until the year 2100 falls on 9 December on the Gregorian calendar.
Forthcoming years in which the date will be subject to transference in England are 2028 (24 April), 2030 (29 April), 2033 (25 April), 2038 (3 May), 2041 (29 April), 2044 (25 April), 2049 (26 April), 2052 (29 April), 2055 (26 April), 2057 (30 April), 2060 (26 April), 2068 (30 April) and 2071 (27 April).[11][12]
In theTridentine calendar Saint George's Day was given the rank of "Semidouble". InPope Pius XII's1955 calendar this rank is reduced to "Simple". InPope John XXIII's1960 calendar the celebration is just a "Commemoration". InPope Paul VI's revision of the calendar that came into force in1969, it was given the equivalent rank of a "Memorial", of optional use. In some countries, such as England, the rank is higher.
The earliest documented mention of St. George in England comes from the Catholic monk the venerableBede (c. 673–735).[13] His feast day is also mentioned in the Durham Collectar, a ninth-century liturgical work.[14] The will ofAlfred the Great is said to refer to the saint, in a reference to the church ofFordington, Dorset.[15] At Fordington a stone over the south door records the miraculous appearance of St. George to lead crusaders into battle.[13] Early (c. 10th century) dedications of churches to St. George are noted in England, for example at Fordingham, Dorset, at Thetford, Southwark and Doncaster.[15] In the past, historians mistakenly pointed to theSynod of Oxford in 1222 as elevating the feast to special prominence, but the earliest manuscripts of the synod's declaration do not mention the feast of St. George.[16] The declarations of theProvince of Canterbury in 1415 and theProvince of York in 1421 elevated the feast to a double major, and as a result, work was prohibited andchurch attendance was mandatory.[17] Edward III (1327–1377) put hisOrder of the Garter (founded c. 1348) under the banner of St. George.[13] This order is still the foremost order of knighthood in England andSt. George's Chapel atWindsor Castle was built by Edward IV and Henry VII in honour of the order.[13] The badge of the Order shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon.[13]Froissart observed the English invoking St. George as a battle cry on several occasions during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453).[15] Certain English soldiers also displayed thepennon of St. George.[18]
[1552] wher as it hathe bene of ane olde costome that sent Gorge shulde be kepte holy day thorrow alle Englond, the byshoppe of London commandyd that it shulde not be kepte, and no more it was not.
St. George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century.[19] The tradition of celebration St. George's day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland.[20] Nevertheless, the link with St. George continues today, for exampleSalisbury holds an annual St. George's Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the 13th century.[15] 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, andAndrew Rosindell,ConservativeMP forRomford, has been putting the argument forward in theHouse of Commons to make St. George's Day a public holiday. In early 2009, Mayor of LondonBoris Johnson spearheaded a campaign to encourage the celebration of St. George's Day, and during the2017 and2019General Elections theLabour Party campaigned for it to be a public holiday.[21] Today, St. George's day may be celebrated with anything English includingmorris dancing andPunch and Judy shows.[22]
A traditional custom on St. George's day is to fly or adorn theSt. George's Crossflag in some way:pubs in particular can be seen on 23 April festooned with garlands of St. George's crosses.[citation needed]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. Organisations such asEnglish Heritage and theRoyal Society of St. George 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.[23] However, there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested includeEdmund the Martyr,[24]Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, orSaint Alban, with the last having topped aBBC Radio 4 poll on the subject.[25]Recently there have been calls to reinstateSt. Edmund as the patron Saint of England as he was displaced by George some 400 years ago.[26]
Religious observance of St. George's day changes when it is too close to Easter. According to the Church of England's calendar, when St. George's Day falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is moved to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter.[5][6] In 2011, for example, 23 April was Holy Saturday, so St. George's Day was moved to Monday 2 May. The Catholic Church inEngland and Wales has a similar practice.[7]
Saint George is the patron saint ofThe Scout Movement, which has held St. George's Day parades since its first years.[27] St. George is the patron saint of many other organisations. In the United States, theNational Catholic Committee on Scouting uses the saint for many of their awards and activities.[28]
In sport, 23 April is also the anniversary of theSt. George DragonsRugby League Football Club. The St. George club coincidentally played their inauguralNew South Wales Rugby League first grade match on St. George's Day, 23 April 1921 at theSydney Sports Ground in Australia.[29]
InNewfoundland and Labrador, St. George's Day is a provincial holiday, usually observed on the Monday nearest 23 April.
St George's Day has a rich culture in Hungary, and in many regions it is one of the biggest celebrations, and was believed to hold mystical power. On this day, there was often a feast bigger than a wedding feast. It was a day of magical practices, forest walks andritual bathing. They believed that this day marked the beginning of the realSpring. Celebrations, puppet shows and the appearance of the world's first secular order of knights, theOrder of Saint George (Hungarian: Szent György Vitézi Lovagrend, "Vitézly Order of Cavalry of Saint George") are common.
According to theHungarians, the witches held their,Witches Sabbath this day. Witches were believed to congregate on mountains, such asGellért Hill. On this day,willow orbirch twigs were put in windows and stables,incense was burnt around them (and sometimesonion garlands were hung), to ward off curses. The animals were given herbs and enchantedpogácsa, believed to have special properties.
Superstition said, whoever's gate jambs were carved by witches that night, that meant his cows milk was taken away.[30]Dojdole traditions are also held this day. Similarly to this ritual, in other areas, girls, shepherds and sheep were thrown water at, not for rain but cow-milk stimulation.
The RomanPalilia, pagan shepherd's festival was the basis for later animal herding rituals. Many pastoral customs can be observed on this day. To ward off evil spirits andwitches and to charm fertility, cattle were driven through onchains,axes or other objects. InSzeklerland Saint George's day fire was used instead.[16] Shepherds were contracted on this day and offered eggs,szalonna, wine andpálinka and sing together.[8]
It was not just a day of knighthood, folk celebration and the lifting of curses. It was for a reason that this day was thought to be of the Sabbath, St. George's Day was considered byHungarian folklore to be a time for casting spells, when rituals were particularly powerful. This day, people were capable of dew-picking(harmatszedés). It was believed that dew squeezed from the field into the pot multiplied the butter. Fertility could also be 'stolen'. If you stole dew from a field that was growing well and then wiped it on your own lawn, you could steal the fertility of their land.
But one must be careful, because at the dawn of Saint George's day the witches are also stealing dew, so you might catch a glimpse of them at road junctions. There are other supernatural beings to watch out for on this day. The Szépasszony spirits on this day, trick people and braid or entangle horses' manes. This can be guarded against by sprinkling blessed poppy seeds around the horses, saying:
| Szépasszony, akkor fond be a lovam sörényit, ha ezt a mákot megolvastad! |
by which you obligate the spirit to count all of them.[1]
This day enables mortals to cast many other spells: for example, catching a snake on this day can give you great physical strength, but losing it will weaken you.
It was also considered a day for walking in the woods andtreasure hunting. InBerettyóújfalu, it was believed that every seventh year, flames would burst out of the ground, revealing treasure, guarded by an old man (presumably a ghost or goblin).[4]
Popular courses for the feast this day include:muttonpörkölt,Hungarian-grey-goulash,mangalitsa skewers.[10]
Saint George became the patron saint of the formerCrown of Aragon, when KingPeter I of Aragon won theBattle of Alcoraz in 1096 commending his army and people to the auspices of the saint. He is also patron of several former territories under theCrown of Aragon, including Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Sicily, Sardinia, and several regions of Italy. In most cases, the reason for those cities' adoption of the saint as their holy patron and shared flag is linked to theAragonese colonial influence and various battles that occurred throughout the Mediterranean during theReconquista. The international expansion of the Crown that followed over the next two centuries across the Mediterranean also led to the adoption of the cross of Saint George as a coat of arms by ChristianCrusaders.
The Feast of Saint George is celebrated enthusiastically in the region and former Kingdom ofAragon, and is a regional feast day. On 23 April, Aragon celebrates its "Día de Aragón" (Day of Aragon) in commemoration of theBattle of Alcoraz (Baralla d'Alcoraz in Aragonese), where the city ofHuesca was reconquered by the Aragonese army and in which tradition says that St. George appeared at a critical moment for the Christian Army.
InCatalonia, theDiada de Sant Jordi (Catalan for "Saint George's Day") involves traditions similar to those ofSaint Valentine's Day in Anglophone countries. Traditionally, boys give girls a red rose (a tradition established in the Middle Ages) and girls give boys a book, today, the exchange of books and roses regardless of gender is also customary. Among roses, many piles of books are for sale in Catalan streets; 1.5m books were sold in 2015.[31] Despite being a working day, it is regarded as one of Catalan national holidays.
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In theValencian city ofAlcoi, Saint George's Day is commemorated as a thanksgiving celebration for the purported aid the saint provided to the Christian 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" ofMoors and Christians and re-enacting the siege that gave the city to the Christians.
InCáceres, in the western region ofExtremadura, the capital city of Cáceres celebrates the reconquest of the city from Muslim rule on 23 April 1229 by KingAlfonso IX of León, with commemorative celebrations which begin on the eve of the feast day with a parade of Moors and Christians and various effigies of Saint George and the Dragon on horseback. Once the parade reaches the main square, they reenact a battle between both camps culminating with the burning of a winning Dragon effigy (as selected and voted by the people of the city).
The townViérnoles inCantabria celebrates several days of "Las Fiestas de San Jorge" at the end of April and/or the beginning of May.[32][33]
Devotions to Saint George in Portugal date back to the twelfth century, andSaint Constable attributed the victory of the Portuguese against what is now mostly modern day Spain, in thebattle of Aljubarrota in the fourteenth century to Saint George. During the reign of KingJohn I (1357–1433) Saint George became the patron saint of Portugal and the King ordered that the saint's image on the horse be carried in theFeast of Corpus Christi procession. In fact, the Portuguese Army motto means Portugal and Saint George, in perils and in efforts of war.[34]
In tradition-richButtenheim and many other towns inBavaria, Georgiritt (plural Georgiritte; "George's Ride") takes place around St. George's Day 23. April, especially around churches dedicated to the saint. Brightly decorated horses and wagons parade several times around the church, in which a service is then held at which the riders and horses are blessed. Various competitions may be held afterwards.
Patron Saint of the Brazilian Army Cavalry, Saint George is celebrated in a horseback riding throughout the country. InRio de Janeiro, where the saint is extremely popular, is a day of popular festivities, such asfeijoada, fireworks, among other celebrations.
On April 23, thechurches begin their festivities at 3:30 am with a moment of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Soon after, around 4 am, the façade takes on new colors with a mapped projection show and light show. The presentation precedes the traditional fireworks display and the solemn mass of "Alvorada de São Jorge", at 5 am.[35]
Exceptionally in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Saint George's Day comes on 24 April. The reason why it was moved from 23 April in case of the Czech'ssvátek sv. Jiří is, that there is a day ofSt. Adalbert of Prague (in Czech Svatý Vojtěch), Czech national patron saint, who was martyred on 23 April 997.[36] It is celebrated in a special way.
In Hungary, 24 April is the day of Saint George the Dragonslayer, thus it is thename day of men named György. It is also the Day of the Police, who honour him as apatron saint.
Under thestate atheism of formerEastern Bloc countries, the celebration of Saint George's Day was historically suppressed.[37]
If St. George's Day falls duringGreat Lent orHoly Week or onEaster Day, it is observed onEaster Monday.[38]
TheRussian Orthodox Church, which uses theJulian calendar, has two important feasts of Saint George. Besides the feast of 23 April (Julian calendar), common through all Christendom, Russians also celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the Church of St. George inKiev byYaroslav the Wise (1051) on 26 November (Julian calendar), which currently falls on 9 December. One of the Russian forms of the name George beingYuri, the two feasts are popularly known asVesenniy Yuriev Den (Yuri's Day in the Spring) andOsenniy Yuriev Den (Yuri's Day in the Fall).[citation needed]
InSerbian, St. George's Day is calledĐurđevdan (Cyrillic: Ђурђевдан) and is celebrated on 6 May every year, as theSerbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian,Old Style calendar. St. George's Day is one of the most commonSlavas (family patron day) among theSerbs. Đurđevdan is also celebrated by both Orthodox and MuslimRomani and MuslimGorani. Đurđevdan is celebrated, especially, in the areas ofRaška in Serbia. Apart from being the Slava of many families, St. George's Day is marked by morning picnics, music, and folk dances.[citation needed]
Possibly the most celebratedname day inBulgaria, St. George's Day (Гергьовден,Gergyovden) is apublic holiday that takes place on 6 May each year. A common ritual is to prepare and eat a wholelamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related toSlavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that St. George is thepatron saint of shepherds. It is also believed to be a magical day when all evil spells can be broken. It was believed that the saint helps the crops to grow and blesses the morning dew, so early in the morning they walked in the pastures and meadows and collected dew, washed their face, hands and feet in it for good luck and even in some rural parts of Bulgaria it was a custom to roll in it naked.[39]
St. George's Day is alsoBulgarian Armed Forces Day, made official with a decree of PrinceAlexander of Battenberg on 9 January 1880. Parades are organised in the capitalSofia to present the best of the equipment and manpower of the Bulgarian military, as well as in major cities nationwide.[citation needed]
St. George's Day is also calledĐurđevdan and is celebrated byBosnian Serbs andRomani (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 songĐurđevdan popularised byBijelo Dugme as well asMeša Selimović's novelDeath and the Dervish.[citation needed]
In theGreek Orthodox Church, Saint George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, unless this date falls during Lent or Holy Week when it is celebrated on the day following Easter. Other, lesser saints are commemorated during Lent or Holy Week on their usual dates. However, because of St. George's standing as one of the church's most veneratedmegalomartyrs the celebration date is moved outside of Lent and Holy Week so that people can fully celebrate the day.[citation needed]
In theGeorgian Church, St. George the Victory-Bearer is commemorated twice a year: on 23 November (the Breaking on the Wheel of Holy Greatmartyr George) and 6 May (the Beheading of St. George).[40] The celebrations likely began in the 4th to 5th centuries. In Georgia, the feast day on 23 November is credited toSaint Nino of Cappadocia, who in Georgian hagiography is a relative of St. George, and is primarily credited with bringing Christianity to the Georgians in the fourth century.
TheRomanian Orthodox Church, which uses theRevised Julian calendar, celebrates St. George's Day on 23 April.[citation needed]
Veneration of St. George as a martyr originates in theLevant, spread fromPalestine through Lebanon to the rest of theByzantine Empire – though the martyr is not mentioned in the SyriacBreviarium.[41] Atitular church built inLydda during the reign ofConstantine the Great (reigned 306–37) was consecrated to "a man of the highest distinction"; the identity of this man with St. George was asserted by the 7th century.[42] The church was destroyed by Muslims in 1010, but was later rebuilt and dedicated to Saint George by theCrusaders. In 1191 and during the conflict known as theThird Crusade (1189–92), the church was again destroyed by the forces ofSaladin, Sultan of theAyyubid dynasty (reigned 1171–93). A new church was erected in 1872 and is still standing.
Christians in the Middle East continue to celebrate St. George's Day, and the custom has been adopted in Muslim tradition via identification of the saint with the figure ofAl-Khidr and an association infolk belief with medicine and healing.InPalestinian culture, the feast is held on 5 May. The feast is held in the Palestinian town ofal-Khader, just south ofBethlehem.[43]Historically, the feast attracted even non Christians throughoutPalestine to visit theMonastery of Saint George.[44] On the morning of 6 May,Palestinian Christians fromBeit Jala, Bethlehem,Beit Sahour and other parts ofPalestine would march in a procession to the monastery.[43]
InMosul, northern Iraq,St. George's Monastery was destroyed in November 2014 by ISIS militants.
Saint George's Day (Jeries) is celebrated widely inJordan, especially in a town near Amman calledFuheis. In Jordan, many churches are dedicated to St. George.
St. George's Day is celebrated throughout Iraq and Lebanon, but especially in towns and villages where churches for St. George have been erected.
ManyChristian denominations in Syria[which?] celebrate St. George's Day, especially in theHoms Governorate. Following this, participants traditionally dine and dance. The monastery of Mar Jurjus (St. George) dates back to the 6th century and is a regional centre of Orthodox Christianity.[45]
In the 1897 bookDracula byBram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St. George's Eve, beginning at midnight. The date of St. George's Day presented in the book, 5 May (on the WesternGregorian calendar), is St. George's Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches of that era. The belief is thatmoroi (living vampires), witches, and other dark creatures must gather all the evil power they can between midnight and the dawn of the saint's holy day, so it is unsafe to go outside on that night.[46]
"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?
— Dracula (1897), Chapter 1, Jonathan Harker's Journal, 4 May
The 1961 playAndorra byMax Frisch focusses greatly on the (fictionalised) Andorran celebrations of St. George's Day. The play begins and ends with references to a ceremonial whitewashing of houses by the town's virgins, again reflecting the day's central theme of purity.
The 2009 playJerusalem byJez Butterworth takes place on St. George's Day, 23 April, also the day of death and estimated birth day ofWilliam Shakespeare.
Lee Sheridan's debut novellaSt George's Day,[47] set inMaynooth on 23 April 2020, examines the day in the life of a part-timesupermarket worker. The protagonist, a lazy Theology student, begins noticing parallels between his life and the life ofSt George. As the blurb reads, he must balance "mundane work with meditation, imagination, and a mouthy manager [the Dragon]."
Agios Georgios is an acknowledged saint across the Catholic, the Anglican, the Orthodox, the Lutheran and the Armenian Church. In Greece, Saint George is celebrated on the 23 April and many areas of Greece devote big ceremonies and fairs to his name that aim at reassuring the Saint's blessings.
Media related toSaint George's feasts at Wikimedia Commons| In culture |  | |
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 English festivals and fairs | |
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| English festivals | |
| Fairs and others | |
