Google Doodle honors St George’s Day on anniversary of St George’s death!

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Today’s Doodle celebrates England’s old tale of the legend of St. George. Shrouded in mystery, legend has it that St. George slew a fire-breathing dragon to save the townspeople of Selene from demise. People around the world celebrate St George’s Day on 23 April, the anniversary of his death.

Saint George's Day, is also called the Feast of Saint George. It is the feast day of Saint George as celebrated by various Christian Churches and by the several nations, old kingdoms, regions, states, countries and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint - including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania as well as the Spanish communities of Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia. The saint also has his state holiday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Saint George is the patron saint of England and Georgia and is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers).

The story of St. George slaying a dragon is well-known. The town of Silene was captured by a dragon. The locals would offer a human sacrifice to the dragon every day. When St. George was visiting the town, a princess was chosen to be sacrificed. So he killed the dragon and saved the people of Silene. To express their gratitude, the locals converted to Christianity.

St. George was born in what is present-day Turkey. Following in his father’s steps, he became a soldier and quickly rose in the ranks of the Roman army, ending up as a personal guard to Emperor Diocletian. When the emperor ordered the persecution of Christians, St. George refused to follow his orders and participate in this. He was tortured and executed in 303 A.D. in Palestine, where he is now buried.

Happy St. George’s Day to all!

Source: Google doodle, Britannica

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