St. George's Day 2023

When is St. George's day?

St George's day is celebrated on 23rd April every year, with this year falling on a Sunday. St. George's Day marks the death of the patron saint of England. The symbol for this event is a red cross over a white backdrop (the same as the flag of England).

Believe it or not, St. George is also the patron saint of other countries including Greece, Russia, Bulgaria, and Portugal. St. George was born in Turkey and became a high-ranking soldier in the Roman army. He converted to Christianity and protested against the army's harsh treatment of Christians which led to him being sentenced to death. Because he fought for his religion he was then seen as a Christian martyr for his sacrifice.

However, legend has it that when he was a roman soldier, he slayed a dragon who was terrorising citizens and that in doing so he saved a princess from certain doom (sound familiar?). The tale symbolises the battle between good and evil.

What is St. George's day?

St George's Day is a day for people to celebrate English culture. Events and celebrations are held all over the nation in towns, villages, and cities.

Are you planning on attending or arranging an event with your friends? Want everyone to pay their share and not be left out of pocket?
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St George's Day Parade

Parades are one of the main celebrations which take place for St George's Day. At these events, a variety of people march in ceremony and celebration down the streets in towns and cities. Flags are waved, dragons, swords and floats are made, people dress up as knights and local community groups and marching bands join the procession. This is then often followed up with a fete-like arrangement with live music, stalls, food and drink, activities for children, Morris dancing, a fairground, jousting, and medieval enactments to name a few.

Major Parades are held in Trafalgar Square London, Manchester City Centre, Market Place Hinckley and Newport (not the Welsh one, obvs!). There will more than likely be an event being held in your local area to celebrate the national day.

St George's Day Quotes

There are many quotes related to St George's Day to celebrate England and the sacrifices people have made for the English culture. Here is a list of some of the most famous quotes about England:

“There is a forgotten, nay almost forbidden word, which means more to me than any other. That word is England” - Winston Churchill

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“England with all thy faults, I love thee still - My country! And while yet a nook is left where English minds and manners may be found, shall be constrained to love thee” - William Cowper

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“Advance our standards, set upon our foes; our ancient word of courage, fair saint George, inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons” - William Shakespeare

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“The gentleness of the English civilization is perhaps its most marked characteristic” - George Orwell

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Things to do on St George's Day

There are lots of ways to celebrate St George's Day other than parades - here are some ideas to suit everyone:

Child activities - Make paper plate dragons or St Georges Day flags/shields, Dragon coloring, Dragon scavenger hunt, bake and decorate St George Day themed biscuits or face painting

Free activities - St Georges Day Trivia, wear a rose, St Georges Day dress up or attend a church service

Party ideas - St Georges Day dress-up theme, English breakfast party, Have a big Sunday roast get-together, Afternoon tea party, Great British bake off, street party or have a pie making contest

Other ideas - Attend a morris dance class, music festival/concert, read poems from Shakespeare/attend a play, a pub crawl or go to a gin tasting

What is the best way to collect money for St George's Day events and celebrations?

A lot of group activities tend to need a deposit or paying upfront. This is fine but can usually mean your friends use the same old phrase “I will pay you back later” and for one reason or another it just never happens. Then you end up chasing the people who owe you money and it turns into a chore that shouldn't have to be done - it's not fair right? You’ve organised it all so the least they could do is pay their share, surely?

It makes it even more difficult when you are having an event like a street party or community get-together where you aren’t as close to the people which makes the process of collecting money much harder.

The topic of money is not the easiest conversation to have with people but you deserve to be paid back or to not have to max out your credit card in the hopes of everyone else paying you back! The process of bank transfer setups can be time-consuming and cause friction, not to mention when people don't reference what the money is for so you can't keep track of who has paid for what. Some people also don't want money to be sent to their main bank account where it is easy to lose track of payments with it all mixed in to your own personal banking.

How about a solution to all of your group payment problems? An easy way of creating a pool of money or multiple pools with each having a describing element such as “St Georges Day Event”, “Food at….” or “Drinks”, and then simply sharing the link to pay to your group of friends on Whatsapp or IMessage group?

Each person simply taps and pays and in a matter of seconds they are done. No need to download an app or create an account and no banking! No excuses, just you getting paid!

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Is St George's Day a Bank Holiday?

To many people's surprise St George's Day is not a bank holiday even though people have fought and petitioned for many years for it to become one. Many other countries have a day off to honour their patron saint - but not England. Nope. Even though we do not get the day off we still celebrate with big events on the day and over the weekend closest to the day.

What Foods to Eat on St George's Day

Whether you are attending a potluck event, community party, or having some friends and family round for a gathering, here are some ideas of what to eat for a St George's Day feast:

Roast beef dinner
Bread and butter pudding
Scones
Pies
Fish and chips
Personalised cakes and biscuits
English breakfast
Toad in the hole

Why Do We Celebrate St Georges Day?

St George's Day has been celebrated in England since the early 15th century. Us brits love a reason to celebrate and St George's Day is one of the few days we get to celebrate being British. Although the day marks St George's death, it is a celebration of what he sacrificed and the courage he had to stand for his beliefs and religion to face adversity.

Some of the scheduled events to celebrate St George’s Day include:

St Georges Day Run in Portsmouth
St Georges Day Charity Lunch in Reigate
World's Largest St Georges Day Parade in Solihull
Afternoon Tea Walk in Ipswich
Feast of St George in Trafalgar Square
St Georges Day Extravaganza in Tamworth

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Organizers bring people together

Since 2019 Collctiv has helped over 550,000 people from 97 countries come together by making it simple for Organisers to collect money from groups of people. Whether it's a day out with friends, attending a parade, or throwing your own local community event - download our free app today and start bringing people together!