photo : Sandra Cohen-Rose
Way back in the 3rd century a warrior from Turkey was beheaded. But he didn’t just die – he went on to become a saint!
St. George
Commonly known as the patron saint of England and a host of other places, St George was a warrior whose strong support for Christianity and its followers led to the loss of his life. He protested vigorously against the Roman Emperor’s persecution of Christians, which brought about his beheading!
St George - or Georgius (not to be confused with gorgeous!) as he was known to his Mum and Dad - is one of the most celebrated saints of the Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox churches. He has patronages all over the place – England, Egypt and Ethiopia to name but a few.
The name Georgius (from Latin) means “worker of the land” and it is perhaps not surprising therefore, to learn that he is also patron saint of farmers and fields. Or of riders, saddlers and horses too for that matter!
Perhaps best known though, is Georgius’ commitment to cavalry and chivalry. He is widely portrayed atop a handsome horse either saving fair damsels in distress, or sword-fighting the odd dragon or two. Which is a bit ironic really, when you consider that before being beheaded gorgeous Georgius was lacerated by a wheel of swords. Not a nice thing to have happen.
St George’s Day
In the Middle Ages – around 1194 – Richard Ι of England (also known as Richard the Lionheart) introduced a red cross on a white background onto the English flag. This was (and still is) known as the cross of St George. A little while later – 1222 to be precise (ish!) – celebration of the day of death for Georgius was introduced at various places around the globe. And to this day many people of all colours and various creeds celebrate St George’s Day on 23rd April each year.
An interesting little fact relating to ‘the globe’ is that the 23rd of April is also the death day of much praised poet, William Shakespeare. He died on 23rd April 1616. And as we all know, William was famous for his Globe Theatre in London, England!
Celebrating St George’s Day
Many of the countries celebrating St George’s Day share common activities. There’s usually traditional dancing; the donning of customary costumes; re-enactments of the fabled slaying of the dragon (a fairy story that started in the 12th century); and much feasting.
But in Austria St Georgitag as it is known, is also celebrated by the Georgi-Ritt ritual. In rural areas you will see a proud procession of horse-back riders in historic costume, riding to church for a ceremonial blessing of their livestock – and in particular their horses, as St Georgi is the patron saint of horses!
