In case you did not know.....

[JOHNNYAITCH]

it's St Georges Day today..wear your Englishness with pride

 

"The English are not very spiritual people, so they invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity."

 

George Bernard Shaw

 

 

"England is a profoundly bizarre place that has produced thousands of bands the world has worshipped."

 

​Gene Simmons (Kiss)

 

"Ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th century, and it was called Wiff-waff! And there, I think, you have the difference between us and the rest of the world. Other nations, the French, looked at a dining table and saw an opportunity to have dinner; we looked at it an saw an opportunity to play Wiff-waff."

 

Boris Johnson

[cheeky]

England; where people celebrate St George's day by eating foreign food and drinking alcohol imported from abroad. They also go on foreign holidays complaining about the British weather.

[JOHNNYAITCH]

England; where people celebrate St George's day by eating foreign food and drinking alcohol imported from abroad. They also go on foreign holidays complaining about the British weather.

 

Yup..marvellous isn't it...a joy to behold

 

We're English and we don't care

[JAMO-IN-MEXICO]

Only we could have a turk on horseback as a patron saint.

[JOHNNYAITCH]

St Homobonus is the patron saint of Cremona, Italy

[Andyregs]

Only we could have a turk on horseback as a patron saint.

 

According to t'internet, so can the following:

agricultural workers; Amersfoort, Netherlands; Aragon; archers; armourers; Bavaria, Germany; Beirut, Lebanon; Bulgaria; butchers; Cappadocia; Catalonia; cavalry; chivalry; Constantinople; Corinthians (Brazilian football team); Crusaders; England; equestrians; Ethiopia; farmers; Ferrara; field workers; Freiburg, Germany; Genoa; Georgia; Gozo; Greece; Haldern, Germany; Heide; herpes; horsemen; horses; husbandmen; knights; lepers and leprosy; Lod; London; Malta; Modica, Sicily; Montenegro; Moscow; Order of the Garter; Palestine; Palestinian Christians; Piran; plague; Portugal; Portuguese Army; Portuguese Navy; Ptuj; Reggio Calabria; riders; Romani people; saddle makers; Serbia; Scouts; sheep; shepherds; skin diseases; Slovenia; soldiers; syphilis; Teutonic Knights

 

Gets around a bit does George! Bit daft to use him to announce any nationalistic superiority though.

[JOHNNYAITCH]

The legend says that a town was terrorised by a dragon that threatened to destroy the city unless they left someone outside the walls for him to eat. To decide who to leave out names were drawn from a hat. One time it was the Princess of the city that was chosen and although the King/Duke tried to get it changed she had to go to the dragon. This is when St George turns up. He saves the Princess and slays the Dragon. When the Duke asks what he can do to repay him, St George only asks that they convert to Christianity, thus becoming a saint. Basically symbolic of Christianity overcoming paganism through this heroic noble figure. Supposedly he was the embodiment of chivalry, bravery etc that medieval knights were supposed to be all about so he seemed a reasonable choice

 

I seem to recall that previous patron saints of England were St Edmund and Edward the Confessor so it's not like it's a permanent position.

 

I nominate MA to be next

[JohnJames]

 

I nominate MA to be next

 

I think that may be nepotism. Mind you thinking about your mother must have been a real saint!!