Celebrate St George’s Day

Happy St George’s Day to all our readers.

Driving around the Island today, it’s hard to not notice the many St George’s Flags flying proudly in people’s front gardens.

If you’re planning to celebrate tonight then you might want to try some of the St George’s Day themed events.

As a prelude to a weekend of activities at Northwood House, Cowes Yacht Haven plays host to a very special St George’s Day concert with The Royal British Legion Central Band playing music from 20th century films.

Over in Sandown, Nick and Sarah will be celebrating their last night at The Caulkheads in Sandown with their St Georges Day Cockney Knees Up.

As we mentioned yesterday, there’ll be lively traditional folk music at the Winter Gardens in Ventnor with The Gentleman Songster and The Apprentice.

Up at the Falcon Inn in Ryde, X-Directory will be dishing out covers from the punk and new-wave era in their usual excellent style.

If none of these float your boat, then check out all the other events listed On The Wight. There’s bound to be something for everyone.

Image: sk8geek under CC BY 2.0

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Daft Old Duffer
23, April 2010 5:35 pm

In the Cevanne region of southern France St George is considered their saint – and they celebrate his day with far more fervour than we manage to drum up. When I tried to tell them we also saluted St George I was quickly dismissed as some sort of imposter.
Unfortunately I can’t speak the langue d’oc so I couldn’t get any details.

Jon
23, April 2010 10:54 pm

i have to say i havnt noticed many st georges flags flying. There are some about, but for some reason I connect them more to the upcoming world cup rather than st george. Maybe thats just me, Im sure theres a few out there flying the flag for st george, but generally I havnt noticed very many at all.

N0.5
Reply to  Jon
24, April 2010 12:19 am

Really…there are loads in Sandown & Shanklin

Jon
Reply to  N0.5
24, April 2010 9:26 am

maybe in residential streets, but on the main roads theres not many at all. and certainly in the residential streets I have driven down in the last few days I havnt seen any. To be fair, Ive been in sandown more than shanklin.

Don Smith
24, April 2010 12:36 am

St George was an Italian.(A Roman soldier)

Saint George is the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Fakiha, Bteghrine, Cáceres (Spain), Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Milan, Pomorie, Preston,

A popular chap by all accounts.

Daft Old Duffer
24, April 2010 7:04 am

I’m not so sure about the Italian bit Don Smith. As you know the Romans recruited from all over their empire and I seem to remember reference to our wee Georgie inhabiting somewhere in the Middle east. The amazing bit is how, with all his followers, so little is known about the man.Personally I think his origin is some minor god just as with Robin Hood (Robin… Read more »

Don Smith
Reply to  Daft Old Duffer
24, April 2010 9:17 am

The disgraced Speaker: Michael John Martin MP
Now a Lord, could soon become our next Saint:-)

mark francis
24, April 2010 8:48 am

St George was a Syrian (possibly) who had never heard of Englamd (because it didn’t exist). In a way this makes him an icon of multiculturalism. Hos actual story seems to have been that he was a pork salesman to the Roman Army who is supposed to have been martyred after throwing down idols from a pagan temple (hence “fighting the dragon”). A less charitable interpretation is… Read more »

Jon
Reply to  mark francis
24, April 2010 9:28 am

all for celebrating his birthday, but the binge drinking bit should probably be played down a bit…

Don Smith
24, April 2010 9:02 am

Very interesting comments – but according to Wikipedia he was a Roman soldier.

However I do not say you are incorrect but it
is rather puzzling why Brits should celebrate
a foreigner – Please do not tell me Jesus…I am an Atheist.

mark francis
Reply to  Don Smith
24, April 2010 9:15 am

Well St. Andrew was not exactly Scottish either. The Christians- of whom I am not one – tend to call him a soldier rather than a corrupt pork belly salesman in order to big him up. My information is from jesusdidnotexist.com which is probably as good as wikipedia.
Lets call it Shakespeare Day

Don Smith
Reply to  mark francis
24, April 2010 7:44 pm

And ST Patrick was a Scot, I do not jest.

N0.5
Reply to  Don Smith
24, April 2010 9:33 am

The Brits didn’t..The original Patron Saint was St Edmund after whom the town is named. However it was contrived that we lost his head (preserved) to the French (who have only just returned it I beleive). It was the Normans who did not want a figurehead for the English to rally around that applied for a new Saint, They also commissioned the re-writes of the Legends of… Read more »

mark francis
Reply to  N0.5
24, April 2010 9:52 am

Many of our Anglo Saxon saints slipped off the screen (or trypditch) in the 12th (I think?) century when the Vatican wads having a clear out & saint supporters had to reapply & the Normans didn’t. St Dunstan (who was bonkers, St.Edmund and St Cuthbert, as well as Thomas Beckett have been patron saints. Edmund is quite a good candidate, except he was only king of east… Read more »

No.5
Reply to  mark francis
24, April 2010 10:19 am

It was on the news a few years ago, that the French were planning to return it..its been on show as a relic in some French cathedral for hundreds of years. Don’t know if they followed through, or whether it has happened yet.

Course its all legend and they probably never had it in the first place

mark francis
Reply to  No.5
24, April 2010 10:49 am

Yeah – I once read that Holy Cross Church in Seaview was founded with a piece of the True Cross but when I tried to find it they said they had lost it. Its easy to let these thinks slip down the back of a hassock isn’t it? Anyway there were about half a dozen availble on ebay, though last time I looked they all seemed to… Read more »

mark francis
Reply to  No.5
24, April 2010 10:57 am

I have just checked the orthodoxengland website (the orthodox church still celebrates Amglo Saxon saints) and it seems that a bunch of French knights punching up King John in 1217 pinched Edmund’s head & took it to Toulouse and this was why he was replaced by St George in 1220.

Jon
24, April 2010 9:42 am

http://www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com/historyofstgeorge.htm This seems to be the officially accepted version, and says he is from what is now Turkey, so Im guessing it could have been Syria originally. Im not so sure about the pork salesman bit. Im not sure his execution would have been so promenent if thats all he was. For the emperor to make an example out of a fairly high ranking soldier seems likely,… Read more »

Daft Old Duffer
24, April 2010 9:43 am

Dear Mark Francis,
Please do not tell the inhabitants of Scotland that their patron saint was a foreigner.They haven’t yet got over the fact that both the clan tartan and the kilt are English inventions, and that the bagpipes originated in Syria.
The poor dears will have a conniption fit

Jon
Reply to  Daft Old Duffer
24, April 2010 9:44 am

please tell me the scots did invent the battered mars bar? I would hate to think that came from anywhere else…

islebeseeingyou
Reply to  Jon
24, April 2010 9:47 am

Yes jon they did. (That’s what I have been told by my son-in-law who is from Scotland).

No.5
Reply to  Daft Old Duffer
24, April 2010 10:12 am

They weren’t ‘English Inventions’ because England did not exist and Bagpipes have been known around the world for thousands of years. Kilts have been worn for thousands of years. Clan Tartans were mostly invented by half Polish half scottish brothers who claimed to be Charles 3rds decendents in the 19th century. Before that time Scottish regiments had their own tartans, but there where no hard and fast… Read more »

mark francis
Reply to  No.5
24, April 2010 10:38 am

Where can I get an IOW county flag? I would sooner fly that.

Jon
24, April 2010 9:44 am

This seems to be the officially accepted version, and says he is from what is now Turkey, so Im guessing it could have been Syria originally. http://www.royalsocietyofstgeorge.com/historyofstgeorge.htm Im not so sure about the pork salesman bit. Im not sure his execution would have been so promenent if thats all he was. For the emperor to make an example out of a fairly high ranking soldier seems likely,… Read more »

mark francis
Reply to  Jon
25, April 2010 7:56 am

According to jesusneverexisted.com (I got the title wrong) George had set himself up as a bishop. A bishop is someone who can ordain other priests so he would have been quite prominent.

Jon
Reply to  mark francis
25, April 2010 8:32 am

ok, i can see that. if he was a pork salesman then set himself up as a bishop that would raise his prominence enough for roman authorities to take notice. A prominent christian would have been seen as a threat by the romans. But even more so if he was a roman soldier originally. I agree that things can be misinterpreted so that someone saying george was… Read more »

BigEars
24, April 2010 12:05 pm

No mention of St. Patrick AKA The Patrician? A sort of latter day The Saint or The Prisoner. He appeared in such adventures as ‘Nicked by the Picts’ and ‘The Conversion’ (probably something to do with the first Rugby match where we beat the Irish). He was a Briton if I am not mistaken (although I think we can safely say that No.5 will know better. He… Read more »

Daft Old Duffer
25, April 2010 12:04 pm

By chance I’ve just come across this from ‘Agincourt’ by Juliet Barker (A lady who clearly knows her subject) ‘Edward 111 had also,at about the same time (The start of the 100years war) unilaterally adopted St George as the patron saint of England. The significance of this gesture was that St George had previously been recognised throughout Europe and the Christian East as the patron saint of… Read more »

Jon
Reply to  Daft Old Duffer
25, April 2010 12:20 pm

heehee, englands not changed that much then…

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