On the 23rd of April England remembers the Patron, St. George.
Since 1222 our country has celebrated the day of St. George, but it wasn’t until 1348 that he officially became the Patron Saint of England. English soldiers would wear a sign of St. George on their chest and backs in the 14th century as he was regarded as a special protector of the English.
His name has become associated with the purity of spirit, selfless devotion to duty and boundless courage and valour in the face of adversity. Traditional customs are to flay the flag of St. George and to wear a red rose in the lapel.
In Downham Market the tradition lives on, at 10am on the 23rd April, there will be entertainment in the Town Square, children from the local Hillcrest and Clackclose schools will be present to witness a performance of St. George defeating the dragon and banishing it back to the Hilgay Fens!
