Putting St George back in spotlight

Apr 23 2008 by David Whetstone, The Journal

It’s St George’s Day. If you aren’t excited, John Sutton and a knight in shining armour will try to put that right.

HE was the inspiration for the oldest order of chivalry in Europe. His banner filled timid hearts in far off lands with courage for battle.

Oh, and he had a sideline in dragon-slaying.

Yes, you might have spotted that today is St George’s Day. If you did, help yourself to a tankard of the finest mead.

But if you didn’t, then get back to scrubbing the baron’s gussets, although you won’t be alone in the laundry room. According to a survey by English Heritage, 20% of people in the North East don’t know April 23 is St George’s Day.

They hope to change this by hosting special family events at Belsay Hall and Lindisfarne Priory this weekend.

Alan Larsen, a specialist in the cavalry of days of yore, will be donning his armour and mounting his trusty steed for the occasion.

New Zealander Alan, who was photographed at Warkworth Castle, is a historical adviser and part-time medieval knight.

He said: “There are some great family days out planned to celebrate St George’s Day. We’ll be having lots of fun doing dragon-slaying displays, but that’s not all. We’ll be on hand to answer questions from those who want to dig deeper into the myth of St George.”

The stories surrounding him are numerous and confusing. He was a Roman soldier and probably Middle Eastern. The dragon slaying myth bears striking similarity to the Greek tale of Perseus and Andromeda, and by the time he was canonised in 494, nearly 200 years after his death, the legend had already taken firm hold.

Family fun provides an innocent focus for marking St George’s Day, which has been tainted in the past by associations with national chauvinism.

Because of this, the country is still divided on the issue of marking St George’s Day, officially or unofficially.

Last year, Tory MP Andrew Rosindell tabled an Early Day Motion for St George’s Day to be marked as a national holiday. This year, Tory leader David Cameron has called it a cause for celebration and said his party would discuss putting their weight behind the suggestion.

As ever these days, the internet offers the widest forum for discussion. A quick search on Google throws up thousands of St George’s Day sites.

But should the focus of a national day really be on St George today?

In medieval times, the crusaders took his banner as their own. This relationship perhaps sits a little uneasily in the modern climate of the war on terror.

However, the right-wing extremists have had the flag poached from them in recent years by football fans.

But (sniff) last November, the roar of the lions turned into the miaow of pussycats England football team failed to qualify for the European Championships.

The flag won’t be flying out of every car window or pinned to the optics in every pub this summer, so St George’s Day could be the only chance to celebrate England and Englishness.

Alan is keen to get as many people as possible involved in the celebrations this year. He said: “If festivals like the English Heritage ones are part of a national trend to claim back St George’s Day, that’s a good thing.”

Alan, 47, has lived in the UK for nearly 30 years, and has travelled the world sharing his passion for history and horses, most recently to Russia and South Africa.

But his affection for his adopted homeland is strong.

“St George’s Day is something everyone can enjoy. The stories surrounding him are legendary. My favourite is the Roman cavalryman. He might even have come to England with the Roman army.

“I enjoy the cheerfully English patriotism and am looking forward to celebrating with the people of the North East this year.”

There will be a St George’s Dragon Trail for children at Belsay on Saturday and Sunday and a Medieval St George’s Day at Lindisfarne Priory.

For details, call 0870 333-1181 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/ stgeorgesday

Further south, there will be a St George’s Day demonstration of traditional dancing in Baltic Square, Gateshead, from noon to 2.30pm on Sunday with seven dance troupes from the region taking part.

But there are plenty of things to do even if you can’t make an official event this year.

Take a walk along Hadrian’s Wall, in the footsteps of the Roman soldiers if not St George himself.

Kids will love a game of Hunt the Dragon in the garden, with Dad (bad back permitting!) taking the part of the dragon.

Have a glass or two of an English beer before settling down to some traditional fare – anything from jugged hare to chicken tikka masala!

See the rain as the elixir for the flowers. See the bus queue as the friends you haven’t made. See this land as green and pleasant again.

Have a Happy St George’s Day!

Beheaded for refusing to persecute Christians

England shares St George with many other countries, including Canada and Russia.

St George refused to persecute Christians with the Roman army and was beheaded on April 23, 303.

The dragon myth, that has given the saint his fame, is thought to be an allegorical representation of slaying paganism.

In 1350, Edward III formed the Order of the Garter in St George's name.

The origin of the St George's cross comes from Crusaders who wore white tunics with red crosses over their armour.

St George pops up in Shakespeare's Henry V with the young monarch rallying his troops with: "Cry God for Harry, England and St George."

William Shakespeare was born on St George's Day, 1564, died on St George's Day, 1616.