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Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square 2024

Although the identity and the origin of England's patron saint are not 100% clear, the feast bears a great importance for this nation

Dates: April 23, 2024

Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square
Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square
Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square

London hosts an endless list of events in April. Every year around the official St George's day that falls on the 23d of April, the Mayor of London throws a party known as the Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square in honour of the nation's patron saint. Today's celebration is held on the national level, despite the image of St George being shrouded in mystery. On the one hand, St George is a mythical figure and, on the other hand, a real historical person. According to legend, Saint George attempted to save the land from an evil dragon and freed a princess before she was eaten by the beast. He cried for the image of the Holy Cross, ​and that helped him to survive the ordeal. The occasion resulted in massive conversions to Christianity in honor of St. George's chivalrous behaviour. According to historical data, indeed there was a Christian soldier named George who lived around 280 AD in the Roman Empire. A fascinating fact is that the myth of St. George and the Dragon lived in England before the Norman conquest in 1066, but he actually became the patron of the nation only in the age of Shakespeare.

On that day, Trafalgar Square is decorated in red and white in honour of England's national day and is lined with stalls selling traditional English food, rooted in St George's Day's 13th-century origins as a national feasting day. The free celebration gathers crowds for the olden time fun and silliness with Morris Dancing, medieval jousting, and lots of family games.

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Last updated: by Eleonora Provozin