Who is celebrating St George’s Day in Birmingham?

On April 23 England observes St George’s Day, in honour of its patron saint. But does the day mean much to people nowadays? Does anyone do anything to celebrate it? We hit the streets of Birmingham to hear some of the people’s thoughts on our national day.

Joanne says: “St Georges Day - it’s interesting because we’re not big on festivals in this country. I know in Spain - my husband’s Spanish - and on St George’s Day, because it’s also a big important saint in Spain. They actually exchange books and things on that day. So it’s just a really special celebration.

“I don’t think we’ve ever really been that festive about it in this country. But I think it’s very important to be aware of our culture generally. As long as, you know, we recognise that the country that we live in is diverse. And that’s a wonderful thing. And that, you know, there are lots of other interesting festivities that we should celebrate as well.”

Richard says: “No, it doesn’t mean anything to me, but it should. Because I think the Irish have Paddy’s Day - which has obviously just happened - and I think a lot of people celebrate that, probably due to drinking and everything else and celebrate that side of things.

“But it would be nice to celebrate that but if it’s not going to be a national holiday in this country, then they’re not going to. So I think that’s something that the government can probably do to prompt that. But whether that’ll do anything I don’t think so.”

Brian says: “I’m conscious of St George’s Day being what I class as an Englishman. There’s a lot about St Patrick’s Day, St David’s Day. And I think St George got left out somewhere along the line. I know some of the reasons were political, etc. - About what the flag represented.

“But I think yeah, we should be proud. It’s a story, didn’t really happen, but I think we should be proud of our heritage and in some ways. Yeah, perhaps we could do a bit more for it.”

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.