Evangelical-Lutheran tradition in the Nordic-Baltic region {{multiple image In the
Evangelical-Lutheran Churches, Saint George's Day is celebrated on April 23 and churches are named in honour of him. In Evangelical-Lutheran countries, Saint George is widely cherished; in
Sweden, Saint George is viewed as one of the nation's patron saints. Throughout Sweden, "On every working day at 12 noon, throughout the land, the ballad of St. George rings out through the radio network; and twice daily in summertime the victory of St. George over evil is re-enacted by the clock figures on the great tower of Stadshuset, the City Hall, in full view of the citizens of Stockholm, the city that was saved from the invading Danes through the aid of the saintly Protector." Saint George's Day, in the Evangelical-Lutheran
Church of Sweden, is celebrated through the offering of the
Mass, which is often observed on the Sunday nearest to the Feast of Saint George on April 23.
English Catholic and Anglican tradition , derived from
Saint George's Cross The earliest documented mention of St. George in England comes from the venerable
Bede (
c. 673–735). His feast day is also mentioned in the Durham Collectar, a ninth-century liturgical work. The will of
Alfred the Great is said to refer to the saint, in a reference to the church of
Fordington, Dorset. At Fordington a stone over the south door records the miraculous appearance of St. George to lead crusaders into battle. The declarations of the
Province of Canterbury in 1415 and the
Province of York in 1421 elevated the feast to a double major, and as a result, work was prohibited and
church attendance was mandatory. Edward III (1327–1377) put his
Order of the Garter (founded c. 1348) under the banner of St. George. St. George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St. George's day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland. Nevertheless, the link with St. George continues today, for example
Salisbury holds an annual St. George's Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the 13th century. Today, St. George's day may be celebrated with anything English including
morris dancing and
Punch and Judy shows. A traditional custom on St. George's day is to fly or adorn the
St. George's Cross flag in some way:
pubs in particular can be seen on 23 April festooned with garlands of St. George's crosses. 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. There is a growing reaction to the recent indifference to St. George's Day. Organisations such as
English Heritage and the
Royal Society of St. George have been encouraging celebrations. There have also been calls to replace St. George as patron saint of England on the grounds that he was an obscure figure who had no direct connection with the country. However, there is no obvious consensus as to whom to replace him with, though names suggested include
Edmund the Martyr,
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, or
Saint Alban, with the last having topped a
BBC Radio 4 poll on the subject. Recently there have been calls to reinstate
St. Edmund as the patron Saint of England as he was displaced by George some 400 years ago. Religious observance of St. George's day changes when it is too close to Easter. According to the Church of England's calendar, when St. George's Day falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is moved to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter. St. George is the patron saint of many other organisations. In the United States, the
National Catholic Committee on Scouting uses the saint for many of their awards and activities. In sport, 23 April is also the anniversary of the
St. George Dragons Rugby League Football Club. The St. George club coincidentally played their inaugural
New South Wales Rugby League first grade match on St. George's Day, 23 April 1921 at the
Sydney Sports Ground in Australia. In
Newfoundland and Labrador, St. George's Day is a provincial holiday, usually observed on the Monday nearest 23 April.
Hungary St George's Day has a rich culture in Hungary, and in many regions it is one of the biggest celebrations, and was believed to hold mystical power. On this day, there was often a feast bigger than a wedding feast. It was a day of magical practices, forest walks and
ritual bathing. They believed that this day marked the beginning of the real
Spring. Celebrations, puppet shows and the appearance of the world's first secular order of knights, the
Order of Saint George (
Hungarian: Szent György Vitézi Lovagrend, "Vitézly Order of Cavalry of Saint George") are common. According to the
Hungarians, the witches held their,
Witches Sabbath this day. Witches were believed to congregate on mountains, such as
Gellért Hill. On this day,
willow or
birch twigs were put in windows and stables,
incense was burnt around them (and sometimes
onion garlands were hung), to ward off curses. The animals were given herbs and enchanted
pogácsa, believed to have special properties. Superstition said, whoever's gate jambs were carved by witches that night, that meant his cows milk was taken away.
Dojdole traditions are also held this day. Similarly to this ritual, in other areas, girls, shepherds and sheep were thrown water at, not for rain but cow-milk stimulation. The Roman
Palilia, pagan shepherd's festival was the basis for later animal herding rituals. Many pastoral customs can be observed on this day. To ward off evil spirits and
witches and to charm fertility, cattle were driven through on
chains,
axes or other objects. In
Szeklerland Saint George's day fire was used instead. Despite being a working day, it is regarded as one of Catalan national holidays due to its overwhelming popularity. , 2022. In the
Valencian city of
Alcoi, Saint George's Day is commemorated as a thanksgiving celebration for the purported aid the saint provided to the Christian troops fighting the Muslims in the siege of the city. Its citizens commemorate the day with a festivity in which thousands of people parade in medieval costumes, forming two "armies" of
Moors and Christians and re-enacting the siege that gave the city to the Christians.
Rest of Spain In
Cáceres, in the western region of
Extremadura, the capital city of Cáceres celebrates the reconquest of the city from Muslim rule on 23 April 1229 by King
Alfonso IX of León, with commemorative celebrations which begin on the eve of the feast day with a parade of Moors and Christians and various effigies of Saint George and the Dragon on horseback. Once the parade reaches the main square, they reenact a battle between both camps culminating with the burning of a winning Dragon effigy (as selected and voted by the people of the city). The town
Viérnoles in
Cantabria celebrates several days of "Las Fiestas de San Jorge" at the end of April and/or the beginning of May.
Portugal Devotions to Saint George in Portugal date back to the twelfth century, and
Saint Constable attributed the victory of the Portuguese against what is now mostly modern day Spain, in the
battle of Aljubarrota in the fourteenth century to Saint George. During the reign of King
John I (1357–1433) Saint George became the patron saint of Portugal and the King ordered that the saint's image on the horse be carried in the
Feast of Corpus Christi procession. In fact, the Portuguese Army motto means Portugal and Saint George, in perils and in efforts of war.
Germany Georgiritt In tradition-rich
Buttenheim and many other towns in
Bavaria, Georgiritt (plural Georgiritte; "George's Ride") takes place around St. George's Day 23. April, especially around churches dedicated to the saint. Brightly decorated horses and wagons parade several times around the church, in which a service is then held at which the riders and horses are blessed. Various competitions may be held afterwards.
Rio de Janeiro Patron Saint of the Brazilian Army Cavalry, Saint George is celebrated in a horseback riding throughout the country. In
Rio de Janeiro, where the saint is extremely popular, is a day of popular festivities, such as
feijoada, fireworks, among other celebrations. On April 23, the
churches begin their festivities at 3:30 am with a moment of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Soon after, around 4 am, the façade takes on new colors with a mapped projection show and light show. The presentation precedes the traditional fireworks display and the solemn mass of "Alvorada de São Jorge", at 5 am.
24 April Exceptionally in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Saint George's Day comes on 24 April. The reason why it was moved from 23 April in case of the Czech's
svátek sv. Jiří is, that there is a day of
St. Adalbert of Prague (in Czech Svatý Vojtěch), Czech national patron saint, who was martyred on 23 April 997. It is celebrated in a special way. In Hungary, 24 April is the day of Saint George the Dragonslayer, thus it is the
name day of men named György. It is also the Day of the Police, who honour him as a
patron saint. ==Eastern Orthodox tradition==