Feast of St George 2019
St George’s Day, the 23rd of April is celebrated as England’s National Day, commemorating the dragon-slaying patron saint. A lot of people join in and enjoy the various festive activities as the UK has declared it as a national holiday.
His Early Days
According to folklore, St. George is stated to have been a Roman soldier, sometime during the third-century and was born in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina to a Greek Christian noble family around 280 AD. The present-day Syria Palaestina is located somewhere between Israel, Syria, Turkey, and Lebanon.
St George was an immigrant, who travelled to various places in search of work. During 245-313 AD, in the reign of Roman emperor Diocletian, he travelled from his birthplace in Syria to Turkey, as we know it today, where he was hired as Emperor Diocletian’s palace guard.
St. George was imprisoned for resigning his military post and protesting against Christian persecution. He was thought to be a martyr for refusing to give up his Christian faith and his local traditions and was subsequently captured, tortured and finally beheaded on April 23, 303 AD.
In England, the first reference to St George was found in The Martyrology of the Venerable Bede, and he is generally depicted in Christian art as a soldier on a horse killing a dragon with a lance. This image first appeared in 1265, in a romance titled, "The Golden Legend" and is a popular representation of the legend of St. George, in which he saved a town terrorized by a dragon with one blow of his lance. Others, however, have an opinion that it’s more significantly, a powerful symbol of the victory of ‘Good over Evil’, of Christian faith over evil (used tobe interpreted contextually as “paganism”), personified by the devil (Evil) who is symbolised by the dragon and St. George as the vanquisher of the dragon, the good prevailing upon evil according to some the imagery that was divulged in the Book of Revelations.
A strong belief in Christianity and his martyrdom raised him to the stature of the patron saint of England and his emblem (the Red Cross on a white background) which is on the English flag and in the current day an integral part of the British flag too.
Present Day
Although St. George died eons ago his memory still lives on, not only because of the national holiday declared by a lot of countries across Europe, but also through the amazing statues that were built all over the city of London. One of the most marvellous statues of St. George and the dragon is located in front of a church in Marylebone.
In England, the day is marked with celebrationsincluding parades, feasts and dancing. Long forgotten traditions are brought to life, such as jousting (a medieval Knight engaging in a sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fight with lances).
If you want a glimpse and experience of the contact sports of the days gone by then you must head over to London where you can also enjoy a succulent hog roast and a gauntlet of mead while you watch armoured men enact a portion of Steel Henge - that’s when one fights with axes!
If your senses crave the more of sensual activity rather than the aggressive, you should watch the Morris dancing, which is a traditional English folk dance with sticks and bells and is sure to enthral you.
Wherever you go to experience St. George’s Day opt for the services of London escorts to make it a far more enjoyable and memorable holiday. These young, sensual and gorgeous-looking ladies will be able to take you to the lesser-known celebrations held on this day.