Saint George is a great feast day today, April 23, for Orthodoxy, as the Church honors the memory of Saint George the Trophy-Bearer.
Saint George is a Saint of the Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Armenian Churches.
In the Balkans, it is celebrated on May 6 for those who follow the Julian calendar and on April 23 for those who follow the Gregorian calendar as Đurđevdan (George's Day) for Serbs, Montenegrins and Bosnian Serbs, Hıdrellez in the Romani dialect and Đurđevo for Croats and Slovenes, marking the arrival of spring.
The red cross on a white background, the Cross of Saint George, dominated as a symbol during the Crusades and served as a model for many nation-state flags.
Who was Saint George – His life and work
Originally from Cappadocia, he was a Greek soldier in the Roman army and served as an army officer under Emperor Diocletian. Saint George was sentenced to death because he would not renounce his Christian faith and was later canonized as a Christian martyr.
Called Great Martyr and Trophy Bearer by the Orthodox Church, he is one of the most popular Saints throughout the Christian world.
Saint George, as in Byzantium, became the patron and Trophy-bearing Saint of the Greek Army, after the liberation of the Greek nation. Thus, in the image of the dragon they saw the Turkish conqueror, who was killed by the Saint.
This depiction appears in hagiography from the 12th century onwards.
The exact details of his birth are not agreed upon by all historians. It seems that he was born between 275-285 AD, to the Greek senator Gerontius, a military officer in office during the time of the emperor Diocletian. According to hagiography, George's father came from a wealthy and official family in Cappadocia.
There, according to one story, in a monastery in the area, George received the Sacrament of Baptism and became a member of the Church. An old manuscript states that he was born in Georgia, was initially a pagan and later became a Christian. His mother was named Polychronia, was a Christian and came from the well-known Lydda (Diospolis, Lod) in Palestine. As Christian sources state, the Saint's family moved to Lydda when he was young, due to the death of his father.
At a young age, George joined the Roman army. He distinguished himself for his courage and heroism and received the office of tribune. Shortly afterwards, the emperor Diocletian made him a duke (commander) with the title of count (colonel) in the Anikiorian battalion of the imperial guard; "many times before, having excelled magnificently in the schools, he was afterwards elected to the first battalion of count."
Apolytikion of St. George the Trophy-Bearer – APRIL 23
The martyrdom of Saint George
In 303 AD, when the persecutions of Diocletian began, George did not hesitate to confess his Christian faith, provoking the wrath of Diocletian, because he held a high position and was his favorite. Initially, he offered him wealth, land and slaves to convert and when George refused, pitying the pagans, he subjected him to a series of horrible tortures. Initially, they tied the saint to a stick and beat him on the stomach with a pole.
Christian tradition describes that after he was speared, his flesh was torn with a special wheel of knives. Then, he was thrown into a pit of boiling lime and then forced to walk in red-hot metal shoes. According to Christian tradition, through all these ordeals, God miraculously kept him alive.
George was finally martyred by beheading, on Friday, April 23 of the year 303 AD. According to the calculation of the Christian historian and apologist Saint Eusebius, this day corresponded to the Friday of the Transcendent Easter. The Christians took his remains and buried them with those of his mother, who was martyred on the same or the following day. According to Christian tradition, George's faithful servant, Pasikrates, fulfilling his wish, took the remains of George, together with that of his mother, and transported them to Lydda in Palestine. Constantine the Great built a temple over his tomb. From there the Crusaders took them to the West.
Saint George: The patron saint of infantry and the Land Army
The faith of George seems to be the reason for the baptism of Christians the military Anatolios and Protoleon, Victor and Akindynos, Zotikos and Zenonas, Christoforos and Sevirianos, Theonas, Caesarios and Antonios, whose memory is celebrated by the Church of Apollo and wife of Diocletian, together with the slaves of Apollo, Isaac and Kodratos, whose memory is commemorated on April 20, and Saint Nike.
After the martyrdom of George, his associates Eusebius, Neos, Leontius, Longinus and four others also suffered martyrdom. The Church commemorates them on April 23. We see that, centered on the day of the martyrdom of Saint George, a festive cycle is created within the liturgical year of the Church, which is cultivated more by the Typikon of Constantinople, which begins on April 20 and ends on April 24. This festive cycle shows the prominent place of Saint George in the life of the Church. In the hymnography of the Orthodox Church, he is adorned with the epithets “the precious pearl”, “the noble one”, “the glorious lion”, “the bright star”, “the soldier of Christ”, “the companion of the heavenly army”.
Saint George is considered the patron saint of the Infantry and the Army, and is also the patron saint of England. He was also considered the patron saint of the Crusaders and the Scouts. As a trophy-bearing (military) saint and liberator, he gathers many wonderful stories and traditions, the most important of which is the one that tells of the killing of the dragon and the salvation of the princess. This beast guarded the water of a spring near Silina in Libya and only let it flow when it found a person to eat. The inhabitants of the area determined the dragon's victim by lot. Entire armies had opposed this monster, but without result. The lot also brought the turn of the princess, whom Saint George saved by killing the dragon.
His biography was first written by Pope Gelasius I in the Acta Sancti Georgii (496), followed by Saint Andrew of Crete. The Syrian Church held him in high esteem from the 4th century. Due to his chivalrous behavior, Saint George became popular in Europe in the 10th century, with the result that by the 15th century his feast was equal in importance and popularity to that of Christmas. At the Council of Oxford in 1222, Saint George's Day was declared an official holiday, and in the 14th century he became the patron saint of the country. He is also the patron saint of Moscow, Aragon, Georgia, and Catalonia, and until the 18th century he was also of Portugal. Saint George, being the patron saint of England and a horseman, was considered by the relevant legend to be the patron saint of the Knights of the Round Table.
Saint George the Trophy-Bearer was a native of Cappadocia. For this reason, he was one of the most venerated Saints in Asia Minor and by extension in the areas where refugees settled in metropolitan Greece after the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
The most famous churches of Saint George in Asia Minor were those of Smyrna, Prusa, Kydonia and Neapolis Cappadocia. In Saint George's homeland, Cappadocia, the first hagiographies of the equestrian Saint George can be found, as well as songs praising him.
Customs on the day of his celebration throughout Greece
His celebration is combined with customs of joy and euphoria. The consecration of the fields and the branches of the walnut tree on the doorstep of the house are customs of his celebration in Arcadia.
In Aegina, the musky chamomile is the flower of Saint George. In Macedonia, the month of April is called Agigeorgitis, in Pontus Aergitas.
In Olvio, Xanthi, the custom of the wrestlers is being revived. Young wrestlers (pehlivanis), wearing leather pants and smeared with oil, engage in a type of Greco-Roman wrestling, particularly popular in Turkey. The winner is the one who puts his opponent on his back or pulls down his pants. The custom is said to represent the battle of Saint George with the dragon and came to Greece from refugees from Constantinople.
The same custom is being revived in Anthi, Serres. Its roots here lie in the years of Turkish rule, when the brave lads of the village, receiving the blessing of Saint George, fought with the Turkish lads and, demonstrating strength and courage, managed to defeat them.
In Neo Souli, Serres, the village youth reenacts the victory of Saint George over the dragon. The event of "Dragon Slaying" attracts a large crowd every year. It is followed by a feast with dancing, wine and traditional food.
In many areas of Greece, impromptu horse races are held in honor of the Saint (Kalliope in Lemnos, Platy in Messinia, Agios Georgios in Messolonghi).
Arachova in Boeotia honors its patron saint with three-day events, the “Panigyraki”, as the locals call it. It includes events, traditional games, local dances and traditional music. The icon of Saint George, during its procession, is accompanied by young men and women of the area in local costumes.
In Asi Gonia, Chania, the local farmers flock with their herds to the church of Agios Georgios Galatas to receive his blessing. The animals, adorned with the most melodious bells, are herded into the "kurta" outside the church and are milked one by one.
When and why is it a movable feast?
The feast of Saint George is considered one of the most important in Orthodoxy, and because certain hymns sung in his memory contain resurrection-related words, it can never be celebrated before the Resurrection of Christ.
So when Resurrection falls after April 23, the celebration is moved to Easter Monday. For example, last year, in 2024, Easter was on May 5, and therefore the celebration of Saint George took place on May 6, Easter Monday.
This year, however, the feast of Saint George 2025 falls after Easter: Easter 2025 is on Sunday, April 20, and three days later, on Easter Wednesday, April 23, Saint George is celebrated.
Source: newsbomb
