St George is the patron of England. (It is also the patron of the Spanish communities of Aragón and Cataluña).
He lived in the third century. He was a soldier and was killed on 23rd April, 303 because he was a Christian. Over the centuries, he came to symbolise chivalry (bravery and good manners). England made him its patron saint in the fourteenth century, when bravery in war was very important.
There is a famous story about St George and a dragon that was frightening the whole country. First of all, the people gave it two sheep a day to eat, but then they had no more sheep. So they had to give it humans to eat and they did this by drawing lots. This meant that everyone’s name was written down and one was picked out every day.
One day, the king’s daughter, the princess, was to be the dragon’s next meal. The king was very sad, but the people said that she must go. That was when the king asked for St George’s help. The princess dressed herself all in white and went to the dragon, but St George was right behind. He bravely fought the dragon. He told the people not to be afraid, but to become Christians by being baptised. They agreed, so St George killed the dragon and baptised fifteen thousand people!
The king wanted to give him money in return for saving his daughter’s life, but St George refused. Instead, he asked the king to look after the poor, the priests and the churches.
The red rose is the emblem of England, but not many people wear a rose on St George’s Day. In fact, the majority of them do not even know which day their patron saint is remembered - unlike the Welsh, the Irish and the Scots.
The 23rd April is the date of the death of the famous authors Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, so people began giving each other books on this day. The custom became so popular that countries all over the world have started celebrating Book Day as well.
