TODAY, April 23, people across England will be acknowledging the day of the country's patron saint, St George.
St George's Day is an annual celebration that takes place every year in England, but nowadays not many people know the significance of it or why the day is celebrated.
It is traditionally a feast day, celebrated in Christian churches. Whilst St George is England's patron saint, he is also the saint of several other countries, including Albania, Greece, and Georgia.
He is described as an early Christian martyr who has been venerated as a saint in the religion.
It is said that he was a soldier in the Roman army who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his faith.
Many believe that he lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries, and it was during the medieval era that stories about the miracles he was said to have performed began.
The famous story of St George and the Dragon is thought to have begun in the 11th century.
The tale tells of a vicious dragon that was causing problems in the city of Silene in Libya.
To stop the dragon from causing devastation to the people of the town, they gave the dragon two sheep each day.
However, this was not enough, and eventually, the town's people had to sacrifice humans to the dragon.
It came to be that the king's daughter was chosen to be sacrificed and no one would take her place.
The legend says that St George saved the girl by slaying the dragon with a lance.
As a way of showing gratitude, the king offered St George's treasure as repayment, which he refused and gave to the poor.
The people of the town were said to be so shocked by what they had seen that they became Christians and were all baptised.
Although little factually is known about St George's origins and what happened throughout his life, celebrations still take place to this day.
In England, many people use the day to create a sense of pride in the nation and enjoy things that are typically English, oftentimes traditional food or drink.
Other towns and cities host parades and festivities where many people come dressed as St George in traditional knight's armour.
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