Monday, 23 April 2012
St George's Day
I think that today is St.George's Day. I say I think it is, I'm really not that sure. You can't miss St.Patrick's Day with all those shamrocks and freshly poured pints of Guinness. And as I Welshman I never fail to wear a daffodil to mark St David's Day. Perhaps the Scots do something similar with a thistle. However, despite all the fuss we make over the various saints, I have a secret admiration for St George, and it has nothing to do with the dragon. I rather like being Welsh, but I admire the way the English decide to ignore their saint. Not for them the flag waving, real ale drinking celebration it could be, but a instead a healthy indifference to nationalistic symbolism. Nor have they allowed they patron saint to be sponsored by a multi-national company. Saints days are admittedly reasonably harmless stuff; in that spirit I will mark St George's Day with an understated small glass of English beer. Which is probably the best in the world.
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I'm not convinced you could accuse the English of a "healthy indifference to national symbolism". I suspect you may change your tune come the European football championship finals this summer when you won't be able to move for crosses of St George appearing all over the place! I'm glad I too will be nestling in the foothills of North Wales, where I won't have to see too many! Having said that, they'll disappear soon enough when England get knocked out!!
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