St. George’s Day

[Finnaldo]

Happy St. George’s Day to all the English Foxestalkers, at home and and abroad 

 

Anyone celebrating at the pub? Got their Morris dancing shoes out? 

[Izzy]

We do St George’s day really poorly imo (compared to St Patrick’s day for example)

 

Almost like we’re embarrassed to celebrate it

[RonnieTodger]

Just now, Izzy said:

We do St George’s day really poorly imo (compared to St Patrick’s day for example)

 

Almost like we’re embarrassed to celebrate it

 

31 minutes ago, Finnaldo said:

Happy St. George’s Day to all the English Foxestalkers, at home and and abroad 

 

Anyone celebrating at the pub? Got their Morris dancing shoes out? 

There's your answer  

[Voll Blau]

10 minutes ago, Izzy said:

We do St George’s day really poorly imo (compared to St Patrick’s day for example)

 

Almost like we’re embarrassed to celebrate it

Probably because the people who shout loudest about it are often so miserable and exclusive. Contrast that with the Irish attitude of not caring who you are or how you want to celebrate as long as you're up for celebrating and you can see why people would rather get involved in that.

[Izzy]

30 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

Probably because the people who shout loudest about it are often so miserable and exclusive. Contrast that with the Irish attitude of not caring who you are or how you want to celebrate as long as you're up for celebrating and you can see why people would rather get involved in that.

I think the Elephant in the room is that many people are reluctant to celebrate St Georges day through fear of being called racist/little Englanders etc.

 

Shame really.

[bovril]

Just now, Izzy said:

I think the Elephant in the room is that many people are reluctant to celebrate St Georges day through fear of being called racist/little Englanders etc.

 

Shame really.

I celebrate it a) because I'm a patriotic Englishman but mostly b) so some pseudo-intellectual twat on social media tells me that ackcuyally he's Turkish which allows me to display my own superior knowledge of 4th century Anatolia.

 

Beautiful day for it anyway! Wish I was back home in the countryside on days like this.

 

[Voll Blau]

3 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I think the Elephant in the room is that many people are reluctant to celebrate St Georges day through fear of being called racist/little Englanders etc.

 

Shame really.

I think that's a misconception these days (if Corbyn's Labour were willing to make it a Bank Holiday then it's clearly not a feeling as widespread as people think it is), but the fact people still cite that misconception is part of the problem. People would rather moan about the fact they can't celebrate it than actually get on with celebrating it.

[SpacedX]

12 minutes ago, Izzy said:

We do St George’s day really poorly imo (compared to St Patrick’s day for example)

 

Almost like we’re embarrassed to celebrate it

Well frankly, it is a bit embarrassing given that he wasn't even English and the only reason for the association is a quirk of royalty and the preoccupation/appropriation of symbolism on behalf of several monarchs with his life. He was born in what is now Turkey and served as an officer in the Roman army. He was martyred following execution because as a Christian he refused to defer to pagan worship 

 

Actually, St.George has international appeal. We share him as a patron Saint with Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Catalonia and even Ethiopia from memory.

 

He wasn't actually knight either and for some reason, I strongly suspect that the bit about slaying the dragon is also bullshit. 

 

[bovril]

16 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I think the Elephant in the room is that many people are reluctant to celebrate St Georges day through fear of being called racist/little Englanders etc.

 

Shame really.

Just ignore the weirdos and snobs. They aren't as numerous as you think

[Dunge]

The problem to me with St. George’s Day is that it doesn’t mean anything to me. So this guy slayed a dragon. Big whoop. Plus, saints are a designated religious thing and we’re not a particularly religious country. I do class myself as patriotic, but this has always just washed over me. I’ve never felt any great tradition around it, possibly in part because I feel being English and being British are kind of similar things. To Wales, for instance, there’s a bigger distinction.

 

Maybe it is something worth celebrating, but I’ve never really got a feeling for why.

[bovril]

Just now, Line-X said:

Well frankly, it is a bit embarrassing given that he wasn't even English and the only reason for the association is a quirk of royalty and the preoccupation/appropriation of symbolism on behalf of several monarchs with his life. He was born in what is now Turkey and served as an officer in the Roman army. He was martyred following execution because as a Christian he refused to defer to pagan worship 

 

Actually, St.George has international appeal. We share him as a patron Saint with Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Catalonia and even Ethiopia from memory.

 

He wasn't actually knight either and for some reason, I strongly suspect that the bit about slaying the dragon is also bullshit. 

 

You defeat your own argument - he's internationally celebrated so the fact he wasn't born in England or set foot here is irrelevant, especially as there was no 'England' at that time.

 

Our flag is a St George's cross and the majority of our inhabitants are Christian, so it's not that weird he's our patron saint. Nobody literally thinks he slayed a dragon and lived in Spalding. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

Happy can't say anything these days Day!

[SpacedX]

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

You defeat your own argument - he's internationally celebrated so the fact he wasn't born in England or set foot here is irrelevant, especially as there was no 'England' at that time.

 

I haven't made an argument really. Simply that the adoption as a patron saint was quite arbitrary - and yes there was "an England" at this time which was during the reign of Edward III. 

9 minutes ago, bovril said:

Our flag is a St George's cross 

Again due to expedience and circumstance. It was an ensign of the fleet of Genoa and so flown by British vessels for protection entering the Straits of Gibraltar leading to its use in the crusades. It was only later attributed to St George. 

 

19 minutes ago, bovril said:

and the majority of our inhabitants are Christian,

Marginally over half I think.

 

20 minutes ago, bovril said:

Nobody literally thinks he slayed a dragon and lived in Spalding. 

Really? 

[bovril]

Just now, Line-X said:

I haven't made an argument really. Simply that the adoption as a patron saint was quite arbitrary - and yes there was "an England" at this time which was during the reign of Edward III. 

 

I meant at the time he lived. 

[Izzy]

44 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

I think that's a misconception these days (if Corbyn's Labour were willing to make it a Bank Holiday then it's clearly not a feeling as widespread as people think it is), but the fact people still cite that misconception is part of the problem. People would rather moan about the fact they can't celebrate it than actually get on with celebrating it.

I don't think people are necessarily 'moaning' that they can't celebrate it.

 

I just think they're a bit nervous to.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Representatives of the Blaby massive are having it large on their front driveway, wrapped in England flags and shouting a lot.

 

Brought a tear to the eye, it really did

[SpacedX]

6 minutes ago, bovril said:

I meant at the time he lived. 

Well yes - between the second and third centuries under which time Britannia was under Roman occupation. But as I said, his adoption as Patron Saint of England was really quite arbitrary and had no affiliation whatsoever with these shores - rather the product of a Royal preoccupation with the symbolism. The national sentiment in connection with St George is all a bit of a nonsense which was the sole point of my original post. That's all really. 

 

I really couldn't give a toss. 

 

 

[bovril]

1 minute ago, Line-X said:

 

I really couldn't give a toss. 

 

 

The essence of Englishness and St George 

[Sir Shep]

Nothing like the snobby upper middle class types who love to sneer at those who put out the buntin and St. George’s flags. I’ve no shame in being English and I will have a socially distanced drink to honour our made up patron fighting his made up dragon.

 

By the way, was the dragon welsh? If so why hasn’t that been picked up as racist or something! 

[Voll Blau]

24 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I don't think people are necessarily 'moaning' that they can't celebrate it.

 

I just think they're a bit nervous to.

Their nerves are unfounded though. I'm struggling to recall a single instance of somebody actually being seen as racist for celebrating it despite the protestations you see every year claiming that's the case.

 

Just has a wedge of Tasty Lancashire to celebrate. We do make good cheese here.

[TiffToff88]

53 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Happy can't say anything these days Day!

You can't say that

[Bellend Sebastian]

Just now, TiffToff88 said:

You can't say that

It's almost as if you actually CAN say all sorts of things

[Webbo]

It's part of our stoic, unimpressed, unshowiness national characteristic. We leave that sort of thing for foreigners. 

[SpacedX]

28 minutes ago, bovril said:

The essence of Englishness and St George 

 Absolutely agree. But then I've never craved for a sense of national identity - added to which although born and partially raised in London, I'm not really English - half-Irish half Welsh. It is a shame that others regard it with such indifference I suppose. 

[Jon the Hat]

I always though Englishness was the tendency to tell anyone who wanted to tell you what to do to **** off.  Sadly this seems to no longer be the case.