Today is St George’s Day.

Very little is known about St George. He is thought to have been a Roman soldier who was martyred in 303 during the Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians near Lydda. In around 1277 the cross of St George – a red cross on a white background – was established as the national flag.

The legend of St George and the Dragon dates from the 12th century. The legend goes that a dragon was terrorising a town. To appease it the townsfolk fed it with sheep and when the supply of sheep ran out they drew lots for one of the children to be fed to the dragon. St George was riding by when it was the fate of a princess to be fed to the dragon. He fought and killed the dragon thus rescuing the princess. It’s a story of good triumphing over evil.

Details about St George in the first Chambers Book of Days published in 1864 state that

… after the Conquest his festival was celebrated after the approved fashion of Englishmen … In the first year of the reign of Henry V, a council held in London decreed, at the instance of the king himself, that henceforth the feast of St George should be observed by a double service; and for many years the festival was kept with great splendour at Windsor and other towns.

For more information on St George’s Day see here. One of the events to celebrate St George’s Day is being held tomorrow at Twickenham – the St George’s Day rugby match between London Wasps and Bath in aid of Help for Heroes, an organisation that supports service personnel injured in combat.

Today is also Shakespeare Day, it being the anniversary both of his birth in 1564 and his death in 1616.