Saint George's Day
The feast of Saint George falls on the 23rd of April, the traditionally accepted date of his death during the Diocletianic Persecution. This specific day anchors a complex web of calendar adjustments that shift the celebration depending on Easter. Church calendars from the Lutheran Churches to the Anglican Communion and the Roman Rite normally mark this date. However, if the 23rd of April lands between Palm Sunday and the second Sunday of Easter, the observance moves to the following Monday. For instance, in 2011, the church celebrated the feast on the 2nd of May because the 23rd of April was Holy Saturday. The year 2014 saw the celebration on the 28th of April, while 2019 moved it to the 29th of April. In 2022, the Catholic Church in England and Wales held the event on Tuesday the 26th of April, allowing St Mark's Day to take precedence on Monday the 25th of April. These shifts follow rules established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 and further revised by Pope Paul VI in 1969. The rank of the feast dropped from Semidouble to Simple, then to Commemoration, and finally to Memorial status. Future transferences are scheduled for years like 2028, 2030, and 2033. The Eastern Orthodox Church follows similar logic, moving the feast to the first Monday after Easter or Bright Week when necessary.
The earliest documented mention of Saint George in England comes from the Catholic monk Bede, who lived between 673 and 735. His feast day appears in the ninth-century Durham Collectar liturgical work. Alfred the Great is said to have referenced the saint in his will regarding a church at Fordington in Dorset. A stone over the south door there records a miraculous appearance where Saint George led crusaders into battle. Early dedications of churches to him appeared around the tenth century at Thetford, Southwark, and Doncaster. Historians once mistakenly pointed to the Synod of Oxford in 1222 as elevating the feast, but early manuscripts do not mention it. Declarations from the Province of Canterbury in 1415 and the Province of York in 1421 elevated the feast to a double major. Edward III founded the Order of the Garter around 1348 under the banner of Saint George. This order remains the foremost knighthood in England today. Froissart observed English soldiers invoking Saint George as a battle cry during the Hundred Years War between 1337 and 1453. The tradition waned by the end of the 18th century after the union with Scotland. Salisbury holds an annual pageant believed to date back to the thirteenth century. In 2006, BBC Radio 3 aired a full program of events for the day. Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, argued in the House of Commons for a public holiday. Mayor Boris Johnson spearheaded a campaign in early 2009 to encourage celebration. Pubs often festoon their windows with garlands of St George's crosses on the 23rd of April.
Saint George's Day holds mystical power in Hungary, where it is one of the biggest celebrations. On this day, witches were believed to hold their Sabbath on mountains like Gellért Hill. Willow or birch twigs were placed in windows and stables to ward off curses. Incense was burnt around these items, sometimes accompanied by onion garlands hanging from doorways. Animals received herbs and enchanted pogácsa pastries believed to have special properties. Superstition held that if witches carved gate jambs, a family's cows would lose their milk. Dojdole traditions involved throwing water at girls, shepherds, and sheep to stimulate cow-milk production. Cattle were driven through chains, axes, or other objects to charm fertility and ward off evil spirits. In Szeklerland, fire replaced physical barriers during these rituals. Shepherds were contracted on this day and offered eggs, szalonna, wine, and pálinka while singing together. People practiced dew-picking at dawn, squeezing field dew into pots to multiply butter. Fertility could be stolen by wiping dew from another's land onto one's own lawn. At road junctions, people watched for the Szépasszony spirits who braided horses' manes. Sprinkling blessed poppy seeds around horses forced the spirit to count them all before acting. Walking in the woods allowed treasure hunting, with flames bursting from the ground every seventh year in Berettyóújfalu.
Saint George became patron saint of the former Crown of Aragon after King Peter I won the Battle of Alcoraz in 1096. He commended his army and people to the auspices of the saint following that victory. The region celebrates Día de Aragón on the 23rd of April to commemorate the reconquest of Huesca. Tradition says Saint George appeared at a critical moment for the Christian Army during that battle. In Catalonia, the Diada de Sant Jordi involves boys giving girls red roses established in the Middle Ages. Girls traditionally give boys books, though today exchanges happen regardless of gender. Piles of books sold reached 1.5 million copies in 2015 despite it being a working day. The Valencian city of Alcoi commemorates the day as thanks for aid against Muslims during the siege. Thousands parade in medieval costumes forming two armies of Moors and Christians re-enacting the siege. Cáceres celebrates the reconquest by King Alfonso IX of León on the 23rd of April 1229. Parades feature effigies of Saint George and the Dragon on horseback. A winning dragon effigy is burned in the main square after a vote by the people. Devotions in Portugal date back to the twelfth century. Saint Constable attributed the Portuguese victory over Spain at the battle of Aljubarrota in the fourteenth century to Saint George. King John I made him patron saint of Portugal between 1357 and 1433.
The Russian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar and observes two important feasts of Saint George. One falls on the 23rd of April common through all Christendom while another marks the dedication of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav the Wise in 1051. This second feast currently falls on the 9th of December on the Gregorian calendar. Russians call these Vesenniy Yuriev Den and Osenniy Yuriev Den, known as Yuri's Day in Spring and Fall. In Serbia, the day is called Đurđevdan and celebrated on the 6th of May every year using the Old Style calendar. It serves as one of the most common Slavas family patron days among Serbs. The celebration includes morning picnics, music, and folk dances especially in Raška areas. Bulgarian Armed Forces Day coincides with this holiday following a decree by Prince Alexander of Battenberg on the 9th of January 1880. Parades present military equipment and manpower in Sofia and major cities nationwide. A common ritual involves preparing and eating a whole lamb related to ancient pagan sacrificial traditions. People walk in pastures at dawn collecting dew to wash faces hands and feet for good luck. Some rural parts of Bulgaria even practiced rolling naked in the dew. The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates on the 23rd of April unless it falls during Lent or Holy Week.
Veneration of Saint George as a martyr originated in the Levant spreading from Palestine through Lebanon to the Byzantine Empire. A titular church built in Lydda during Constantine the Great's reign was consecrated to a man of highest distinction. By the seventh century, identity with Saint George was asserted though not mentioned in the Syriac Breviarium. Muslims destroyed the church in 1010 before Crusaders rebuilt and dedicated it again. Saladin's forces destroyed it once more in 1191 during the Third Crusade ending in 1192. A new church erected in 1872 still stands today. Christians in the Middle East continue celebrating while Muslim tradition adopted the figure as Al-Khidr associated with healing. In Palestinian culture, the feast is held on the 5th of May in al-Khader just south of Bethlehem. Historically non-Christians visited the Monastery of Saint George on this day. On the morning of the 6th of May, Christians from Beit Jala, Bethlehem, and Beit Sahour marched in procession to the monastery. Mosul's St George Monastery was destroyed by ISIS militants in November 2014. Jordan celebrates widely especially in Fuheis near Amman where many churches bear his name. Iraq and Lebanon see celebrations throughout towns and villages with dedicated churches. The monastery of Mar Jurjus dates back to the sixth century serving as an Orthodox center in Syria.
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Common questions
When is Saint George's Day celebrated in 2011?
The church celebrated the feast of Saint George on the 2nd of May 2011 because the 23rd of April fell on Holy Saturday that year.
Who documented the earliest mention of Saint George in England?
The Catholic monk Bede lived between 673 and 735 and provided the earliest documented mention of Saint George in England within his writings.
Why does Hungary celebrate Saint George's Day with superstitions about witches?
Saint George's Day holds mystical power in Hungary where witches were believed to hold their Sabbath on mountains like Gellért Hill leading to rituals involving twigs and incense.
Which king made Saint George patron saint of Portugal?
King John I made Saint George the patron saint of Portugal between 1357 and 1433 after attributing a victory over Spain at the battle of Aljubarrota to him.
What are the two dates for Saint George feasts in Russia?
One feast falls on the 23rd of April common through all Christendom while another marks the dedication of the Church of St George in Kiev by Yaroslav the Wise in 1051 which currently falls on the 9th of December on the Gregorian calendar.