23 Apr 09 Happy St. George’s Day

The Irish have St Patrick’s Day; The United States has Indepence Day and the English have St. Georges Day.

St. George is the patron saint of England. This from Wikipedia:

A traditional custom at this time was to wear a red rose in one’s lapel, though with changes in fashion this is no longer common. Another custom is to fly or adorn the St George’s Cross flag in some way: pubs in particular can be seen on April 23 festooned with garlands of St George’s crosses. However, the modern association of the St George’s Cross with sports such as football, cricket and rugby means that this tradition is rare outside this context. It is customary for the hymn “Jerusalem” to be sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George’s Day, or on the Sunday closest to it.

If you don’t have a red rose, then have some honest to goodness English Real Ale instead!

Tags: cathedrals, churches, cricket, fashion, fly, garlands, george s day, honest to goodness, hymn jerusalem, patron saint of england, pubs, real ale, rugby, sports, st george, st georges day, st patrick, tradition, wikipedia