Saint George's Day
The Church 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.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 of Bright Week.[11] Early (c. 10th century) dedications of churches to St. George are noted in England, for example at Fordingham, Dorset, at Thetford, Southwark and Doncaster.St. George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century.[19] Today, St. George's day may be celebrated with anything English including morris dancing and Punch and Judy shows.[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 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.[21] However, there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested include Edmund the Martyr,[22] Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, or Saint Alban, with the last having topped a BBC Radio 4 poll on the subject.[27] In Newfoundland 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, willow or birch twigs were put in windows and stables, incense was burnt around them (and sometimes onion garlands were hung), to ward off curses.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.In Berettyóújfalu, 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).In most cases, the reason for those cities' adoption of the saint as their holy patron and shared flag is linked to the Aragonese colonial influence and various battles that occurred throughout the Mediterranean during the Reconquista.The international expansion of the Reconquista 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 Christian Crusaders.In Catalonia, la Diada de Sant Jordi involves traditions similar to those of Saint Valentine's Day in Anglophone countries.In Cáceres, in the western region of Extremadura, the capital city of Cáceres celebrates the reconquest of the city from Muslim rule on 23 April 1229 by King Alfonso 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 town Viérnoles in Cantabria celebrates several days of "Las Fiestas de San Jorge" at the end of April and/or the beginning of May.Under the state atheism of former Eastern Bloc countries, the celebration of Saint George's Day was historically suppressed.Apart from being the Slava of many families, St. George's Day is marked by morning picnics, music, and folk dances.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.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.Parades are organised in the capital Sofia to present the best of the equipment and manpower of the Bulgarian military, as well as in major cities nationwide.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 of Al-Khidr and an association in folk belief with medicine and healing.The belief is that moroi (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.Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?The 1961 play Andorra by Max 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.
St George's Day (film)Saint George and the DragonRaphaelRoman Catholic ChurchcalendarLutheran ChurchescalendarsAnglican CommunionEastern Orthodox ChurchOriental Orthodox ChurchNations or Regions of which Saint George is the patron saintNewfoundland and LabradorFeast daynational dayChurch servicesSt. George's CrossGeorge's Day in SpringGeorge's Day in AutumnCatalan Sant JordiEnglish Saint George's DayĐurđevdanFeast of Saint GeorgeSaint GeorgeChristian churchespatron saintAlbaniaBulgariaEnglandEthiopiaGreeceGeorgiaPortugalRomaniaPalestineLebanonCastile and LeónCataloniaAragonRio de JaneiroDiocletianic PersecutionRoman RiteEasterLutheranAnglicanCatholicOctave of EasterEaster WeekCommon WorshipSt MarkChurch of EnglandBright WeekRussian Orthodox ChurchYaroslav the WiseTridentine calendarPope Pius XII1955 calendarPope John XXIII1960 calendarCommemorationPope Paul VIMemorialSaint George's Day in EnglandFlag of EnglandSaint George's CrossAlfred the GreatFordington, DorsetSynod of OxfordProvince of CanterburyProvince of Yorkchurch attendanceOrder of the GarterSt. George's ChapelWindsor CastleFroissartpennonSalisburyBBC Radio 3Andrew RosindellConservativeRomfordHouse of CommonsBoris JohnsonGeneral ElectionsLabour Partymorris dancingPunch and JudyJerusalemEnglish HeritageRoyal Society of St. GeorgeEdmund the MartyrCuthbert of LindisfarneSaint AlbanBBC Radio 4St. EdmundEngland and WalesScoutsThe Scout MovementSt. George DragonsRugby LeagueNew South Wales Rugby LeagueSydney Sports Groundritual bathingSpringOrder of Saint GeorgeHungarianHungariansWitches SabbathGellért HillwillowincensepogácsaDojdolePaliliawitcheschainsSzeklerlandszalonnapálinkatreasure huntingBerettyóújfalumuttonpörköltHungarian-greymangalitsaBattle of AlcorazSaint George's Day (Spain)