Saint George's Day
Saint George's Day | |
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Observed by | Churches
Countries and regions
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Type | Đurđevdan Feast of Saint George |
Saint George's Day is the
Saint George's Day is celebrated on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of the saint's death in the Diocletianic Persecution.[2] It coincides with the birth and death dates of English playwright and poet William Shakespeare.
Date
In the
Common Worship says "When St George's Day ... falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is transferred to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter"[8] but it does not say what to do if that day is 25 April – normally St Mark's Day. This will next occur in 2033.
The church celebrations of nearly all saints' days are transferred if they fall on a Sunday (because Sunday is the celebration of Christ's Resurrection, which is far more important than a saint's commemoration).
In fact, despite the rule above, the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales celebrated St George's Day on Tuesday 26 April 2022,[9] with the feast day of St Mark taking precedence and being celebrated on Monday 25 April. The Church of England's Common Worship lectionary for 2022 had the same dates, with St George's Day being celebrated on Tuesday 26 April, according to the image of the physical book shown on social media.
Similarly, the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the feast moves accordingly to the first Monday after Easter or, as it is sometimes called, to the Monday of Bright Week. Besides the 23 April feast, some Orthodox Churches have additional feasts dedicated to St George. The country of
In the Tridentine calendar Saint George's Day was given the rank of "Semidouble". In Pope Pius XII's 1955 calendar this rank is reduced to "Simple". In Pope John XXIII's 1960 calendar the celebration is just a "Commemoration". In Pope Paul VI's revision of the calendar that came into force in 1969, it was given the equivalent rank of a "Memorial", of optional use. In some countries, such as England, the rank is higher.
Western tradition
English Catholic and Anglican tradition
The earliest documented mention of St. George in England comes from the Catholic monk the venerable
[1552] wher as it hathe bene of ane olde costome that sent Gorge shulde be kepte holy day thorrow alle Englond, the byshoppe of London commandyd that it shulde not be kepte, and no more it was not.
St. George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century.
A traditional custom on St. George's day is fly or adorn the
There is a growing reaction to the recent indifference to St. George's Day. Organisations such as
Religious observance of St. George's day changes when it is too close to Easter. According to the Church of England's calendar, when St. George's Day falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is moved to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter.[5][6] In 2011, for example, 23 April was Holy Saturday, so St. George's Day was moved to Monday 2 May. The Catholic Church in England and Wales has a similar practice.[7]
Saint George is the patron saint of The Scout Movement, which has held St. George's Day parades since its first years.[25] St. George is the patron saint of many other organisations. In the United States, the National Catholic Committee on Scouting uses the saint for many of their awards and activities.[26]
In sport, 23 April is also the anniversary of the St. George Dragons Rugby League Football Club. The St. George club coincidentally played their inaugural New South Wales Rugby League first grade match on St. George's Day, 23 April 1921 at the Sydney Sports Ground in Australia.[27]
In Newfoundland and Labrador, St. George's Day is a provincial holiday, usually observed on the Monday nearest 23 April.
Iberian peninsula
Spain
The Feast of Saint George is celebrated enthusiastically in the Region and former Kingdom of Aragon, and is a regional feast day. On 23 April, Aragon celebrates its "Día de Aragón" (Day of Aragon) in commemoration of the Battle of Alcoraz (Baralla d'Alcoraz in Aragonese), where the city of Huesca was reconquered by the Aragonese army and in which tradition says that St. George appeared at a critical moment for the Christian Army.
In
In the
In Cáceres, in the western region of Extremadura, the capital city of Cáceres celebrates the reconquest of the city from Muslim rule on 23 April 1229 by King Alfonso IX of León, with commemorative celebrations which begin on the eve of the feast day with a parade of Moors and Christians and various effigies of Saint George and the Dragon on horseback. Once the parade reaches the main square, they reenact a battle between both camps culminating with the burning of a winning Dragon effigy (as selected and voted by the people of the city).
The town Viérnoles in Cantabria celebrates several days of "Las Fiestas de San Jorge" at the end of April and/or the beginning of May.[29][30]
Portugal
Devotions to Saint George in Portugal date back to the twelfth century, and
Germany Georgiritt
In tradition-rich Buttenheim and many other towns in Bavaria, Georgiritt (plural Georgiritte; "George's Ride") takes place around St. George's Day 23. April, especially around churches dedicated to the saint. Brightly decorated horses and wagons parade several times around the church, in which a service is then held at which the riders and horses are blessed. Various competitions may be held afterwards.
Rio de Janeiro
Patron Saint of the Brazilian Army Cavalry, Saint George is celebrated in a horseback riding throughout the country. In Rio de Janeiro, where the saint is extremely popular, is a day of popular festivities, such as feijoada, fireworks, among other celebrations.
On April 23, the churches begin their festivities at 3:30 am with a moment of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Soon after, around 4 am, the façade takes on new colors with a mapped projection show and light show. The presentation precedes the traditional fireworks display and the solemn mass of "Alvorada de São Jorge", at 5 am.[32]
24 April
Exceptionally in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Saint George's Day comes on 24 April. The reason why it was moved from 23 April in case of the Czech's svátek sv. Jiří is, that there is a day of
In Hungary, 24 April is the day of Saint George the Dragonslayer, thus it is the name day of men named György. It is also the Day of the Police, who honour him as a patron saint.
Eastern Orthodox tradition
Under the
If St. George's Day falls during Great Lent or Holy Week or on Easter Day, it is observed on Easter Monday.[35]
Eastern Slavic tradition
The
South Slavic tradition and Balkan spring festival
In
Possibly the most celebrated
St. George's Day is also Bulgarian Armed Forces Day, made official with a decree of Prince Alexander of Battenberg on 9 January 1880. Parades are organised in the capital Sofia to present the best of the equipment and manpower of the Bulgarian military, as well as in major cities nationwide.[citation needed]
St. George's Day is also called Đurđevdan and is celebrated by
In the
In the
The Romanian Orthodox Church, which uses the Revised Julian calendar, celebrates St. George's Day on 23 April.[citation needed]
Middle East
Veneration of St. George as a martyr originates in the
Christians in the Middle East continue to celebrate St. George's Day, and the custom has been adopted in Muslim tradition via identification of the saint with the figure of
In
Saint George's Day (Jeries) is celebrated widely in Jordan, especially in a town near Amman called Fuheis. In Jordan, many churches are dedicated to St. George.
St. George's Day is celebrated throughout Iraq and Lebanon, but especially in towns and villages where churches for St. George have been erected.
Many
In literature
In the 1897 book Dracula by Bram Stoker, evil things are said to occur on St. George's Eve, beginning at midnight. The date of St. George's Day presented in the book, 5 May (on the Western Gregorian calendar), is St. George's Day as observed by the Eastern Orthodox churches of that era. The belief is that moroi (living vampires), witches, and other dark creatures must gather all the evil power they can between midnight and the dawn of the saint's holy day, so it is unsafe to go outside on that night.[43]
(Excerpt from Dracula, 1897) "Do you know what day it is?" I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: "Oh, yes! I know that, I know that! but do you know what day it is?" On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: "It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?
The 1961 play Andorra by Max Frisch focusses greatly on the (fictionalised) Andorran celebrations of St. George's Day. The play begins and ends with references to a ceremonial whitewashing of houses by the town's virgins, again reflecting the day's central theme of purity.
The 2009 play Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth takes place on St. George's Day, 23 April, also the day of death and estimated birth day of William Shakespeare.
Lee Sheridan's debut novella St George's Day,[44] set in Maynooth on 23 April 2020, examines the day in the life of a part-time supermarket worker. The protagonist, a lazy Theology student, begins noticing parallels between his life and the life of St George. As the blurb reads, he must balance "mundane work with meditation, imagination, and a mouthy manager [the Dragon]."
References
- ^ "The true St. George's Day in Rio de Janeiro". Day Tours. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Dracula – It is the eve of St. George's Day". Book Drum. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ISBN 978-0801859687.
- ^ "Agios Georgios Feast in Greece". Greeka. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
Agios Georgios is an acknowledged saint across the Catholic, the Anglican, the Orthodox, the Lutheran and the Armenian Church. In Greece, Saint George is celebrated on the 23 April and many areas of Greece devote big ceremonies and fairs to his name that aim at reassuring the Saint's blessings.
- ^ a b "The Calendar: Rules to Order the Christian Year". Common Worship. The Church of England. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b "The Calendar: Table of Transferences". Common Worship. The Church of England. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Liturgical Calendar: May 2011". Liturgy and Ordo 2010–2011. The Catholic Church in England and Wales. 22 April 2011.
- ^ "Rules". The Church of England.
- ^ "Liturgical Calendar | April 14".
- ^ "Georgia celebrates Saint George's Day today". agenda.ge. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Religions – Christianity: Saint George". BBC. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Bianchi, Hanael (2014). St. George's Day: A Cultural History of England's National Day. Owings Mills, Maryland: Caliber and Kempis. p. 38.
- ^ a b c d "Saint George's Day". Merriam-Webster.
- ^ Cheney, C. R. (1964). Councils and Synods and other Documents relating to the English Church Vol. II, Part 1, 1205–1265. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 101, 104.
- ^ Bianchi, Hanael (2014). St. George's Day: A Cultural History of England's National Day. Owings Mills, Maryland: Caliber and Kempis. p. 42.
- ^ "Froissart: The English in Portugal Mutiny". Nipissingu.ca. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "British Council | China". www.britishcouncil.cn. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007.
- ^ McSmith, Andy (23 April 2009). "Who is St George?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "The Labour Party Manifesto 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "How to celebrate St Georges Day – celebration event". Stgeorgesholiday.com. 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ Crutchlow, Dayle (5 July 2006). "Hands off our patron saint, by George!". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- ^ A new Patron Saint of England? (28 June 2008). "Suffolk – Community – A new Patron Saint of England?". BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Radio 4 – Today – St Alban". BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ^ "Drive to reinstate 'local lad' St Edmund as country's patron saint". Bury Free Press. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "St George's Day celebrations". The Scout Association. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "St. George". National Catholic Committee on Scouting. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Williams, Steven. "Dragons – Our Proud History". jubileeavenue.com.au. St. George and Illawarra Rugby League. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Finnegan, Christopher (23 April 2016). "Boys, girls, books and roses: a literary love affair in Catalonia". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Viérnoles celebrará San Jorge con 13 actividades, a partir del 24 de abril". El Diario Montañes (in Spanish). 16 April 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ^ Laguillo, David (13 April 2022). "Las Fiestas de San Jorge en Viérnoles serán las primeras que se celebrarán con "normalidad" en Torrelavega". Noticias de Torrelavega en EsTorrelavega.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ISBN 0-299-05584-1
- ^ "Dia de São Jorge no Rio de Janeiro: a festa que começa de madrugada e toma as ruas do estado". Diário do Rio (in Portuguese). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Church calendar from Jindřichův Hradec (German Neuhaus), today Czech Republic, 1842 (in German) (Adalbert (= Vojtěch)'s Day on 23 April, Georgius' day on 24 April) (System Kramerius, National library Prague)".
- ISBN 978-1-4144-6430-5.
- ^ "George the Great Martyr and Triumphant". Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ Plovdivtours (13 May 2013). "Saint George's Day". plovdivtours.com. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Georgia celebrates its national holiday – St. George's (Giorgob) Day". OrthoChristian.Com.
- ISBN 978-1-4375-1281-6.: 166
- ISBN 0-521-39037-0.
- ^ a b "St. George's Feast". Bethlehem.ps. Centre for the Cultural and Historical Preservation of Palestine.
- ^ "Al Khader". Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ Debsie, Azzat. "St. George Monastery". cometosyria.com. Senators Travel. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ Timar, Ema (5 May 2016). "Beware St. George's Eve". Supernaturally Speaking with Ema Timar. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ISBN 979-8838635105.
External links
- Media related to Saint George's feasts at Wikimedia Commons