Happy St. George’s Day

And the huge flag is outside in Nottingham market place as usual on this day.

Well, good: time to reclaim it back from the far right lot!

Whitewavemark2

Quite interesting.

In our sister countries they have cultural identities like distinct language, clothing, food and the knowledge that they were once independent countries.

I wonder what the English can claim as distinct.

Are you not English?
Never heard of Shakespeare/Dickens/Eccles cakes/ Morris Dancing/ Cheddar cheese/ Wensleydale cheese/ Double Gloucester cheese ( many more)/ Cornish Pasties/ Devon cream/Nottingham lace/Lancashire hotpot/ and many more things I don’t have time to list.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Happy St George’s Day from a proud Welsh woman. It’s about time you started celebrating it more openly!

By the way a good observation Willow3 about how and why the ‘conquered’ nations in the UK celebrate their saint’s days. Not moaning as it’s all in the past as far as I am concerned and am happy to be part of one nation. 🙂
And you were just answering a question….

Wyllow3

Well, good: time to reclaim it back from the far right lot!

I agree.

A pleasure to see all the traditional things that people see as English.

As a Cornish woman - I of course having Celtic ancestry certainly feel very grounded in certain traditions.

I'll see you on 1st May dancing round the Maypole then, if I ever get these ribbons untangled!

I think May Dancing is just wonderful ☺️
It would be lovely if urban schools did it, in fact I bet some do...

Oooo, not surprisingly, we find it in many traditions - as in dancing for the start of the summer, everything light and blossom and coming into bud, wherever you are:

"Maypole dancing is a widely distributed folk tradition with roots in ancient European spring rites, often viewed as a symbol of fertility, community, and the "Tree of Life". While strongly associated with England, it is a multicultural tradition, with variations found across Europe, North Africa, India, and the Americas"

There are some lovely U tube videos and I was delighted to find there is one in the park quite near me each year, I never knew.

I did Maypole dancing as a child, and in my last school we did this on St George's Day.
There was a space in the wooden floor of the hall for the Maypole to slot into.

Oh, and May 1st, of course.

Its so lovely. They have "borrowed" our tradition for some places in the USA, apart from any other May celebrations/dances maybe indigenous. (found on my U tube wander).

The Obby Oss of course, probably from Celtic Beltane.

WWM Obby Oss is very big in Broadstairs, in August, when we celebrate Folk Week.

Happy St George's day all. I have been out with a group for a traditional English lunch to celebrate the day 🤗

Frenchgalinspain13.17- lovely to hear a rose is given to loved ones in Spain on your Saint george day equivalent. I'm not displaying the England flag though today- passers by would think I am supporting a vote for Reform in forthcoming local elections- which I'm not. No offence to Reform voters but it's a shame that the Engalnd flag has now become associated with Reform UK and their ideology.

On St Patricks day you see ☘️☘️ s everywhere not the Irish flag- so I much prefer the English Rose as a Enaglish symbol on St George's day.

Have a lovely day all 🌹🌺 🌹

Today is the one day that flags really should be out there!
I expect they might be - but I'm at home today.

I accept that St. Andrew's connection with Scotland is as tenuous as St. George's with England (and he certainly wasn't an immigrant, whether bearded or not), but my recollection is that St. Patrick, while not born in Ireland, did at least go there. Anyway, that was what the back page biography of him in The Eagle, back in the fifties, taught me. But "Cry God for Charlie, England and St. George!" as Shakespeare nearly wrote.

I don't remember anyone making a fuss about St George's Day when I was a child. I don't celebrate it because my father died on St George's Day.

I don't recall it at all as a child except for learning about the legend at some point. I have a vague memory of a knight on horseback.

I happened to be in Winchester, England’s ancient capital, today, although I hadn’t realised it was St George’s day until I saw a roundabout decorated with flags.

Here’s a photo of Winchester cathedral’s flag today.