Showing posts with label Saint George. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saint George. Show all posts

November 23 - Saint George's Day in Georgia

Posted on November 23, 2019

I read that Saint George is viewed as so important in the nation of Georgia, a majority of the churches in that country were built in his honor.

St. George Church at the Gelati Monastery,
in Georgia.
 
And that St. George is considered the patron saint of the nation.

And that St. George appears in Georgia's emblem / coat of arms.

And that Giorgi, which derives from the name "George," is the most popular name for boys and men in the nation!

One of Georgia's more famous Giorgis is footballer
Giorgi 
Chakvetadze, considered a rising star in 2019.

(Apparently, the name of the country of Georgia did not come from the saint, even though the rumor that it did has been around for centuries.)

I read that every day a feast dedicated to St. George is served somewhere in Georgia.


St. George is supposed to have died on April 23, and most people who celebrate St. George's Day do so on April 23; however, others celebrate on January 25, April 24, May 6, and November 23. 

I read that St. George's Day is celebrated in Georgia twice a year: on the anniversary of the saint's death, May 6 (which is April 23 on the Julian calendar), and on the anniversary of the saint's torture, November 23 (Nov. 10 on the Julian calendar). There are festive church services and feasting, and people have the day off from work and school. 

St. George lived during the late Third and early Fourth Century; he was a Greek man who served as a soldier in the Roman Empire. He was tortured and eventually killed for refusing to give up his Christian beliefs. 

By the way, the beast at the bottom of this photo is the dragon that St. George is supposed to have slain.






May 6 – Đurđevdan

Posted May 6, 2015

Đurđevdan translates to "George's Day"—as in St. George.

As in the guy on a horse killing a dragon!

St. George is considered the patron saint of England, and that is why his feast day is still celebrated there every April 23. That is the traditionally accepted anniversary of his death in 303 C.E. (or A.D.).


However, St. George's feast day was April 23 on the Julian calendar. That translates to May 6 on the Gregorian calendar (which is the one we use nowadays).

Even though the people of Southern Slavic nations use the Gregorian calendar for most purposes, Eastern Orthodox Christianity generally still uses the Julian calendar for feast days and other religious holidays. So nations like Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo celebrate the feast day today. (I think. Honestly, I found all of this stuff about April 23 and May 6 quite confusing!)

A Southern Slavic version
of St. George killing a dragon.

Đurđevdan marks the beginning of spring, and some of the spring celebrations enjoyed in other nations on other days take place today in Southern Slavic nations. That includes having bonfires and decorating the home with flowers and blooming twigs, taking baths with flowers and washing with water from holy wells. Another slavic tradition is choosing girls to dress in leaves and play the part of Dodola goddesses by singing all through the village.

Even though this holiday has its basis in Christian traditions, with a Catholic saint and feast day, the connection with springtime celebrations, particularly the Dodola goddesses, comes from pagan traditions. In some areas, such as Bosnia and Kosovo, many Muslim people also celebrated Đurđevdan, at least in the past.

More about South Slavs...

In the past, just as in the present, people moved about trying to find resources and land; as they spread out and moved away from former neighbors, their languages and customs began to diverge as they evolved.

There are many nations that are settled by mostly “Slavic peoples,” largely defined by their Slavic languages. The South Slavs include the majority of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and a sizable minority in the Republic of Kosovo (a disputed nation).


Notice that the Southern Slavic nations, shown above in green, are cut off from the other Slavic nations by non-Slavic countries like Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova.

Check out these flags and photos for each of the Southern Slavic nation:

Bosnia and Herzegovina:





Bulgaria:



Croatia:



Kosovo:



Macedonia:



Montenegro:



Serbia:



Slovenia:






Also on this date:










Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4 - 8)

































Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And here are my Pinterest boards for:

April 23, 2013 - St. George's Day in the U.K.

The United Kingdom is made up of Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England. Each has its “patron saint”—a figure that is said to protect that country and its people. For England, that patron saint is St. George.

(By the way, St. George is considered the patron saint of several different countries and cities around the world.)

Details about the “real” St. George's life are very uncertain (his existence as a historical person isn't certain), but legend has it that he was born in what is now Turkey, in the 200s. He was supposed to have later lived in Palestine, where he became a Roman soldier. The legends tell us that the reason he is a saint is because he was a Christian who faced persecution and eventually death for his religion.


Another famous legend tells us that St. George saved a maiden and/or a kingdom from a poison-spewing dragon. This story has become very familiar partly because several artists chose to paint or sculpt the dramatic fight between armored soldier and dragon.

Celebrate!

In Salisbury, there is a traditional St. George's Day pageant. In other places, people enjoy morris dancing and Punch and Judy shows. People often combine the feast day with festivities in honor of playwright William Shakespeare (check out the post about Shakespeare's birthday below). An old-time tradition that is rarely followed today is wearing a red rose (check out the Day of the Rose post below).

Here is a website, created for a school project, that features the Legend of St. George Slaying the Dragon. 

Here are free resources for celebrating St. George's Day, including the story of St. George and the dragon, posters, and coloring sheets.



Also on this date:

Physicist Max Planck's birthday 












Playwright and poet William Shakespeare's birthday (?)