St George’s Day was once a major holiday in England, celebrated with a formal national holiday and feasts across the kingdom, with an aplomb matched only by, perhaps, Christmas.
Saint George was a Christian martyr, often associated with slaying the dragon; he is the patron saint of England and his patronage exists in many other countries around the world, including Egypt, Bulgaria, Georgia, India, Iraq, and Lithuania.
Yet the day is rarely celebrated formally in England any more – at least, to the extent it was in the fifteenth century. Why has the importance of the event declined? And how significant is St George to modern people?
There may be a number of reasons why St Georges’ Day is no longer as widely celebrated as it once was in England. By the eighteenth century, it had ceased to be an important day in the English calendar, possibly as a result of the union between England and Scotland. And indeed, identity may be one of the issues surrounding the decline of the event.
“I don’t see myself as English,” says Hannah, a student at the University of Manchester. “I am British. So why would I celebrate St George’s Day?” And it’s a good point. Within a country that has an increasingly diverse and multicultural population, just how relevant is Saint George?
Another issue seems to be with Saint George himself – it has been argued that the Roman soldier had little or no connections with England in his lifetime, so should not be celebrated by the English in death. While it might be enough that Saint George has been recognised as the English patron saint throughout history, a BBC Radio 4 poll in 2010 concluded that Saint Alban should replace Saint George as the English patron saint. Saint Alban was, at least, British.
Recent years have seen an effort to rejuvenate the day in the national consciousness. Boris Johnson spearheaded an attempt to see St George’s Day more widely celebrated in London, organising a six-hour free concert in London as part of celebrations. Meanwhile, prominent national heritage charity, English Heritage holds a number of events and pageants across the country every year to keep the significance of St George alive – the biggest is held in Bedfordshire.
Yet it seems to be an event that will continue to be celebrated according to personal preference, or not at all.