A Study On St. George’s Day In Medieval England

England is not where St.George set foot in during his lifetime nor where he was widely shrined.St.George,however is an important cultural symbol in England.St.George’s Day is widely celebrated throughout England on April 23^rd every year.The reasons are worth exploring.The popularity of St George’s Day in England has gone through a long process.Saint George’s original image was a martyr,and St.George’s Day was the day of his martyrdom.With the spread of Christianity in England,St George’s Day was known by the monasteries there.At first,St George’s Day was similar to other saint feasts.Monks made it on the calendar of ritual prayers to guide the ritual activities of the monastery.Through the prayer on that day,monks sought the intercession of saints,in order to obtain the protection of saints in this world and the salvation of the soul.Besides,as commemorating the saints could serve as an example to the living Christians,St.George’s Day manifested a moralist function.The image of St.George however,was historically dynamic.With the appearance of the knight image of St.George,St.George was better known by the secular world,and St.George’s Day gradually became secular.Edward III chose St.George as the patron saint of the Order of the Garter and held a rally on St.George’s Day to showcase the recognition of ruling class of St.George and further expand the influence of St.George’s Day in England.St.George’s Day also became a means of monarch warrior authority.By elevating St.George’s Day,Henry V attached the memory of the victory against French to St.George’s Day,thus making St.George’s Day associated with early nationalism.At the same time,St.George’s story of the slaughter of dragons became widely known with the rise of the Tabernacle Order,which also ignited the public enthusiasm for celebrating St.George’s Day.The three images of St.George were intertwined,meeting the needs of different classes to celebrate St.George’s Day and pushing St.George’s Day to a climax.With the establishment of the Tudor Dynasty,religious issues became an obstacle for modernization in England.St.George’s Day thus became the stage for the conflict between the monarchy and the church.At the same time,as too many religious festivals caused serious social and economic problems,the Reformation in England was imperative.St.George’s Day gradually declined in the process.However,English people’s memory of St.George would not easily dissipate.St.George would remain in the imagination of England with a suitable image,change with the times and live on forever.