St Georges Day:


It was in the year 1415 AD that St. George became the Patron Saint of England when English Soldiers under Henry V won the battle of Agincourt.

Still without Camera.....you guessed it... Not my photos...

So the National Parton Saint of England is held close to everyones heart... or is he .........

St George, having defended his faith was beheaded at Nicomedia near Lyddia in Palestine on the 23rd of April in the year 303 AD.

Like St Patrick do we really know anything about this person? Well at least I didn't get up to a barage of people pinching me just because I forgot to wear green..(see blog entry from March 17th). I know little about St. George apart from the fact that it is St Georges day and the Churches fly flags from the flag poles and he gets a mention in the sermons. Seems there has been a lot of discussion about this guy over the last few years.

What will revive him will no doubt be the renevue people can make of him and the symbol of a National Saint. Doesn't it always come down to money. Where is the passion the conviction the sentimentalism.

Here are a few things I found from ...guess where, yes the BBC from 2005 and 2006

The failure to celebrate St George's Day with the same enthusiasm as St Patrick's Day could see English firms missing out on millions of pounds, groups promoting the anniversary have claimed.

The Value of St George Campaign - which aims to make firms realise the benefits of marking the saint's day - said that while celebrations were increasing, much more could be done.
A study carried out for the campaign concluded that firms across England were missing out on nearly £40m a year by not celebrating the day as much as their Irish counterparts.
'So much negativity'
It suggested pubs should encourage more customers to spend money celebrating, while other businesses could be selling items related to the day.
The report for the Value of St George Campaign was carried out by the Future Foundation, an organisation which aims to make businesses better understand their customers' wants and needs.
It concluded firms across England could make an extra £38.8m annually by doing more to mark the day, with pubs alone missing out on £14m every April by not encouraging customers to celebrate the event as they would St Patrick's Day.

What is it to be English? It is a very serious question. When you ask a lot of people in this country they are very vague .

Multiculturalism has left the English embarrassed about celebrating their true national identity, Britain's first black archbishop has said.

England is the culture I have lived in, I have loved," the Ugandan-born cleric told The Times newspaper. He called for the English to properly mark St George's Day on 23 April.

"They have done some terrible things but not all the Empire was a bad idea."
Born in Uganda, Dr Sentamu said he would not be where he was today were it not for the British Empire and the English teachers and missionaries who worked in Africa.
"Because the Empire is gone, there is almost a sense in which there is not a big idea that drives this nation," .

And other links

http://www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com/historyofstgeorge.htm

http://www.thevalueofstgeorge.com/index.php?oURL=home
We hope you celebrate St. George's Weekend each year by marking the occassion in true English style!
In 2005, St George's Day fell on a Saturday with licensees across the land having a fantastic opportunity to turn the whole weekend into a celebration.The nationwide campaign, led by Wells Bombardier, the British Tourist Authority and The Publican, has continued to gain momentum with an ever increasing number of licencees celebrating St. George's Day Weekend in style!Greater numbers every year get involved, you can visit Events to see what pubs across England are up to and then have a read through our top tips and great English recipies.It's a great chance for licensees to maximise profit potential and capitise on the ever-growing support of the campaign to make St. George's Day not only as recognised as St. Patricks Day but also to get official recognition in the form of a public holiday.

David Blunkett, the former home secretary, has spoken out to encourage the English not to be "apologetic about our history" and to be proud of the cultural mix and acceptance - forming "a new English identity for the modern age" and celebrating St George's Day in a positive manner on April 23rd.

David Blunkett wrote in The Guardian on 19/03/2005: "...how do we affirm our Englishness as part of being British in a new way?

By celebrating our culture, from the music of Vaughan Williams and Elgar to the poetry of Christina Rossetti, Wilfred Owen and Philip Larkin and the quintessentially English humour of Tony Hancock, Round the Horne and Monty Python; by celebrating our landscape, our heritage of Victorian cities, our history..."St George's Day can be a way of reconnecting Britain's diverse community with national history, giving people of all backgrounds a sense of Englishness and confidence in identity.

I remain a confused Englishman in the USA........Dont worry I get the Camera back sometime this week.....

(no this is not a picture of me....)