ST.GEORGE'S DAY

[Kiya]

Happy ST.GEORGE DAY to all my English friends.

Stained glass window of ST.GEORGE in Gloucester Cathedral

[LovelyLadyLux]

Happy St Georges Day

I'm aware of St George and his killing of the dragon but I did look it up on the Internet:

St George was born sometime around the year 280 in what is now Turkey. He was a soldier and rose up through the ranks of the Roman army, eventually becoming a personal guard to the Emperor Diocletian. He was executed for being a Christian on April 23, 303, and is buried in the town of Lod in Israel.

St George is most widely known for slaying a dragon. According to legend, the only well in the town of Silene was guarded by a dragon. In order to get water, the inhabitants of the town had to offer a human sacrifice every day to the dragon. The person to be sacrificed was chosen by lots. On the day that St George was visiting, a princess had been selected to be sacrificed. However, he killed the dragon, saved the princess and gave the people of Silene access to water. In gratitude, they converted to Christianity. It is thought that the dragon represents a certain type of pagan belief that included the sacrifice of human beings.

St George's Day was once celebrated as widely as Christmas. But the celebrations waned by the end of the 18th century after England had united with Scotland on May 1, 1707. In recent times, there has been a push, involving campaigns and petitions, to make the day a public holiday in England.

St George is the patron saint of a number of other places, such as Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Portugal and Russia. He is also remembered in some regional holidays, such as in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada and among the Gorani people who live in a mountainous area in the Balkans and were converted to Islam many centuries ago, but still observe St George's Day. Around the world, a number of days are devoted to St George, including April 23 and dates in November and December of the Gregorian calendar.


We have no celebrations here although the Internet indicates it is celebrated by one Province in Eastern Canada. No idea how or even why it is celebrated there but it could be a 'in name only' holiday. Is it actually celebrated there in the UK? Only England?

[Horus]

Thank you Kiya
LLL, asked

Is it actually celebrated there in the UK? Only England?

It is celebrated by some people, but not in any great sense and maybe we should as English people make more of an event of it, making it a public holiday would help. Each part of the UK has its own patron saint, England = St George, Scotland = St Andrew, Ireland = St Patrick & for Wales it is St David

[yildez]

The story of St George and the dragon is much older than the medieval legend remembered today. Many art historians believe the source was the Ancient Egyptian story of Seth slaying the Great Snake Apophis. There is a wall painting of this in the Temple of Hibis, at Kharga Oasis - substitute St George for Seth and you have the same depiction.

[Jayway]

I had a post on FB, a whole street with the cross of St George flags hanging from every balcony !

[Horus]

Thanks Yildez for that little snippet, please do post more often and I agree that you may well be correct in what you say, most legends can be traced back to a dimmer time in our past. Although it may just be some sort of a coincidence the fact that we have a hero figure of Seth (St George) slaying a monster snake (the dragon) with his spear (or lance) would seem too much of a coincidence not to be true.
The temple of Hibis (which means plough) was built by the Persian ruler Darius I, around the 6th century BC on the 18th Dynasty settlement of Saites.

I have this image which I think is the one Yildez refers to in which can be seen the God Seth spearing the snake Apophis. It was a poor image, so I have sharpened it quite a bit to define the detail.

[LovelyLadyLux]

St George day was celebrated here in Newfoundland and Labrador yesterday.

I think here most people equate St. George as being the dragon slayer. Doubt they know much more than that and I highly doubt school children know much of anything about him today at all but I associate him with slaying a dragon.

@Yildez - interesting tidbit And I quite agree that most of the stories can probably be traced back to ancient history.

[yildez]

Yes Horus, that's the one. I have a photo too, but not good quality. My little automatic didn't cope well with the lack of light, and the poor definition of the colours. Very interesting if you compare it with the very early Medeival paintings, where the dragon is usually much more snake like.

I was fascinated by Hibis, as it illustrates the decline of traditional art, and possibly belief. All the Egyptian deities are there, but mixed up, and not in their original context, as though the artists were determined not to leave anyone out!

[Horus]

Interesting point you make about the mixing and diluting of older cultures by the new conquerors often assimilating older gods and beliefs into their own pantheon. The Romans in particular were very good at assimilating these gods and I remember seeing somewhere (maybe on a tombstone ?) where the jackal headed god Anubis is depicted in a Centurions dress and armour and holding a Roman spear.
Please feel free to post anything regarding Egyptology that you may consider interesting as we are always open to new discussions and of course most of us still have that interest in Egypt and history even though we often discuss other things amongst ourselves.