Happy Saint George's Day!


A very happy St George's Day to everyone reading this.

As someone who appreciates the rich cultural tapestry of the British Isles I celebrate all four of our national Saint's Days.

If we had some sort of tabula rasa and were picking a Patron Saint for England from scratch, I think Saint Alban, the first known Christian martyr in these islands, would be a far stronger candidate than Saint George. He definitely existed, he actually lived in England, and the deed for which he is remembered - giving his life to save a Christian Priest rather than defeating some mythical dragon - really happened.

But we don't have a tabula rasa, and people in England have celebrated St George's day for centuries.

Taking pride in your own culture and history does not have to mean a lack of inclusivity or that you denigrate the culture of other nations in any way, shape or form. To start hacking bits out of our national culture for no good reason would be a tragedy, so I say again: Happy Saint George's day!

Comments

Jim said…
No way what a daft idea, could you imagine people at footy matches waving the Cross of St Alban ugggh, far too close to St Andrew that. besides, George killing the dragon is also good for England V Wales in rugby. St George is awesome, and April 23rd should be a bank holiday, especially if its sunny like today was.
6:14 pm
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