St George’s Day 2024: Date, meaning and who England’s patron saint was

On Tuesday the patron saint of England will be celebrated as St George’s Day is observed.

Also known as the Feast of Saint George, the saint whose story involves slaying a dragon and rescuing a princess in the process, is also marked in Catalonia, the region of Aragon in Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Russia.

Here is everything you need to know regarding this year’s dates, the significance of the day and how the feast is celebrated, explained.

When is St George’s Day 2024?

St George’s Day is marked on 23 April every year, which this year falls on a Tuesday.

St George was thought to have died in AD303 after he was born sometime around the year AD280. It is believed that he was executed on this day for refusing to make a sacrifice in honour of the pagan gods during the persecutions of emperor Diocletian, making him a Christian martyr.

St George’s tomb can still be found in the Christian pilgrimage site of Lod, in modern-day Israel.

However, despite some protests, St George’s Day is not a bank holiday unlike St Patrick’s Day in Northern Ireland, and St Andrew’s Day in Scotland, meaning schools and businesses will open as usual on 23 April.

Who was St George?

Much mystery sounds the figure of St George due to lacking historical information. However, it is thought he was a soldier who fought in the Roman army and climbed the ranks to become personal guard to emperor Diocletian.

Contrary to common thought, St George was likely born in Cappadocia, modern-day Turkey, and died in Lydda, now Israel.

According to the saint’s popular story, he slayed a dragon and saved a princess in the tale found in Jacobus de Vorgine’s The Golden Legend, a 13th century selection of stories about the lives of saints.

According to the legend the only well in Silene, a town in Libya, was guarded by a dragon who required a daily human sacrifice for the townspeople to get water.

On the day of St George’s visit, the town’s inhabitants had selected a princess to be sacrificed.

But St George came to the rescue, slaying the dragon and saving the princess’s life, giving the people of Silene access to water before the town all then converted to Christianity as a sign of their gratitude to their hero.

How is St George’s Day celebrated?

In 1415 St George’s Day was made a national feast day and thus a holiday in England, and this continued until the 18th century.

Yet, since the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707 St George’s Day celebrations diminished.

Today, in the UK and other regions that observe the feast, flags bearing the St George’s cross are traditionally flown on houses and buildings, especially pubs, and people may display the symbol on a button or patch.

Pinning a rose blossom to your lapel or pocket is also a tradition, as it is associated with the saint’s death.

St George’s Day parades and medieval-themed festivals are common across England, while many pubs usually hold celebratory events and promotions.