A very English patron saint

Although the country’s national day is today events will be held throughout the week.

On the day itself, Bridport Arts Centre is holding a dance at 7.30pm with music from the Rex Trevett Big Band, raising funds for the band’s memorial fund and the centre.

Professional dancer Glenn Bayliss and partner will give a ballroom dancing display. Dress to impress with a red and white theme.

Thursday is also a big day for Wellworths manager Claire Robertson, who will find out if she has been chosen as the ultimate champion of England after taking over the former Woolworths store in Dorchester.

Wellworths will be stocking some St George’s Day products and the store will be patriotically decorated.

Also getting into the spirit will be Dorset County Council, which will fly the English flag on its Dorchester building.

The 51st annual fair at St George’s Church, Fordington, will take place on Saturday from 1.30pm to 4pm in the church grounds and the church itself.

Activities will include skittles and a bouncy castle, displays will come from Crystal Cheerleaders, a taekwondo group, and the Durnovaria Band, plus competitions in skills such as photography and cake-making, and much more.

On Sunday, the Dorchester and District Beavers, Cubs and Scouts will assemble at Charles Street car park to be inspected by town mayor Kate Hebditch.

This is followed by the parade, led by Dorchester Carnival Band, to the United Church for a service at 3pm. Some events have already taken place around the borough – at Dorset County Museum on Saturday, youngsters made models of St George and the dragon.

And just for the adults, Portland Red Triangle Cricket Club hosted a three-day beer festival over the weekend.

WHO WAS ST GEORGE?

St George’s Day stands for all things English – or does it? St George is the patron saint of England, Lebanon, Georgia, Portugal, Bulgaria and Valencia.

And I thought good old Blighty had exclusivity on this great hero.

But no, not only is St George the patron saint for a whole host of countries, he is also revered by many cities and organisations. St George is the second most important National Feast in Catalonia. Lebanon has churches and holds processions dedicated to him.

Then the Scout movement also has a share.

So for such a diluted Saint, why is there such a fuss being made about the growing indifference being displayed by not just the Government – but also the general population?

There have even been calls to replace St George with another saint that has a less tenuous link with England such as St Alban or St Cuthbert.

The Royal Society of St George was founded in 1894 and has been patronised by royalty since its formation. It was established to promote ‘Englishness’ and the English way of life.

Laid down by Royal Charter, the rules of the society revolve around gallantry and good overcoming evil and strengthening England and the Commonwealth.

It is probably the oldest organisation that exists to raise the profile of Saint George but is by no means the only organisation.

All of them bestow great virtue on a man who lived 1,700 years ago in another country.

All of them call for greater recognition of this gallant hero, generally in the form of a National Public Holiday.

Graham Smith launched the St George Unofficial Bank Holiday campaign in 2006 and was certain the Government would buckle and agree to a national holiday by 2009. Andrew Rosindell, MP for Romford has also been pushing for a public holiday.

Sadly, cries for a day off fell on deaf ears. A Downing Street statement said ‘the present pattern of bank holidays in the UK is well established and accepted and the Government has no current plans to change the arrangements’.

Dorset County Council is not going to organise any events this year but will fly the St George flag.

The Bridport Arts Centre is holding a St George’s Day Dance today.

BBC Dorset is holding a gargantuan writing project in celebration as part of the Made in England venture. Some of the final works will be projected onto the roof of Salisbury Cathedral on Thursday night.

The Dorset County Museum was due to hold a ‘make your own St George and the dragon’ event with a final duel at the end of the day last Saturday.

So what do we know about this national hero?

There can be few people who are honoured quite so extensively as St George. But what is it about the man that demands such respect?

Everyone is familiar with the George and the Dragon stories and the badge of the Order of the Garter has George on horseback slaying the dragon.

Ever since the 7th century, when the earliest British reference can be found in an account given by the Abbot of Iona St Adamnan, the heroic stories of derring-do and gallantry have been associated with George.

The Caxton Press published The Golden Dragon in 1483, a story translated from French Bishop Jacques de Voragine’s story of George rescuing a fair maiden from being eaten by a dragon.

So was the dragon real or just science fiction?

Let’s turn the clock back about 1,730 years to when George was born into a Christian family in Cappadocia (now in Turkey). His father sadly died when George was quite young and his mother decided to return, with George, to her native Palestine.

George followed in his father’s footsteps to become a soldier. He quickly rose through the ranks due to his expertise and abilities.

He was also reported to be handsome, strong and a friend to everyone.

However, things took a downturn when Emperor Diocletian, who was a pagan stalwart, decided to start persecuting the Christians.

George protested against Rome’s stance and stood up for the Christians.

This was to be his undoing. Sadly he was arrested, tortured and eventually put to death when he refused to renounce his Christian beliefs.

Not before, however, sharing out his wealth, belongings and land amongst the poor. He was reportedly beheaded at Lydda, Palestine and his head was carried to Rome and preserved in a church dedicated to him.

The Crusades that took place during the first few centuries of the Christian faith carried and wore the St George symbol of the red cross on a white background.

This was a way for the crusading soldiers to recognise one another on the battlefield. And as the Crusades returned from fighting the Saracens, George’s reputation grew and grew.Richard the Lionheart had this as his emblem. It is also incorporated into the Union Flag.

St George church in Fordington, Dorset has a stone carving above the door depicting a battle in which St George leads crusaders into battle. This is the earliest known church in England to be dedicated to St George.

It was in 1222 that St George’s Day was set as April 23, this being the generally accepted date of his death in 303 AD.

Edward III (1327-77) founded the Order of the Garter and put it under St George’s patronage. Today, the Queen announces new appointments to the Order on April 23.

When times are hard, everyone needs a hero. From the 14th century, St George was seen as a special protector of the English. It was in 1415 that George became the patron saint of England when the Battle of Agincourt was won under King Henry V. At this time, St George’s Day was second only to Christmas Day. And so it continued until St George’s popularity began to wane.

But doesn’t everyone need a hero – handsome, strong, chivalrous, and valiant and a friend to all – or perhaps we no longer have the same gap in our lives.

But with recession cutting ever deeper, maybe it’s time to revive the dragon-slaying hero.

Cry God for Harry, England and St George! (Shakespeare, Henry V).

by SOPHIA MOSELEY