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St George's Day in LONDON
Thursday 18th April 2013 | ARIANE
London celebrates St George's Day with a whole host of free events including parades, food festivals, children's activities and more. A highlight is the annual festival in Trafalgar Square.
St George's Day is officially 23 April, but London usually celebrates the English patron saint for the entire week leading up to that date.
St George's Day in Trafalgar Square
The Mayor of London's Feast of St George takes place on 20 April from 12pm to 6pm. This free event in Trafalgar Square is inspired by the 13th century origins of St George's Day, which was traditionally a day of feasting.
You can browse stalls selling delicious food, watch cookery demonstrations and tuck in at the banqueting area while enjoying live music and dance performances by talented Londoners.
History of St George and the Dragon
St George is the patron saint of England. His name is most commonly associated with the legend of St George and the Dragon.
In the mythical tale, George obtains glory by slaying a dragon that is terrorising the countryside and is about to eat a beautiful princess. George survives the ordeal by invoking the sign of the cross.
As a mark of their gratitude, the local citizens all convert to Christianity and seek to copy George's chivalrous, princess-saving behaviour.
The story is loosely based on a real-life George who was born around 280AD and grew up to become a Christian soldier of the Roman Empire.
The myth of St George and the Dragon in England was known prior to the Norman conquest in 1066. But the idea of George as the nation's patron saint probably caught on around William Shakespeare's time.
In Shakespeare's play Henry V, the English troops are famously rallied with the cry "God for Harry, England and St George!".
