St George’s Day

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St George’s Day in England (on 23rd April every year, the date when Saint George died) remembers St George, England’s patron saint.

St George was born around 280 AD. Even though he is the patron saint of England, he wasn’t actually born there. He was born in a place called Cappadocia (in the modern day, that is in Turkey!) He was a Roman soldier who was tortured and killed by Emperor Diocletian for refusing to renounce his Christian faith in 303 AD on 23rd April.

St George isn’t just the patron Saint of England! Interestingly, St George’s Day is celebrated not just by the English, but by several countries and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint (mainly observed by Christians from the Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox churches). These countries include Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and Croatia among others. In Greece, Saint George Day, or Agios Georgios Day, is also celebrated on April 23. However, if Easter is after April 23, then it is celebrated on Easter Monday. He is the Patron Saint of farmers (after all, Georgios, a Greek name, means “worker of the land”), soldiers (since during his life he used to work as a military officer), archers and even… scouts!  

Legend has it that George slew a dragon. The story says that he rode into a place called Silene. There he met a man who told him about a terrible dragon who was terrorising the nearby kingdom. Every day, the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a young maiden and now only the king’s daughter remained alive. St George rushed to the aid of the princess. He told the king that he would kill the dragon if he promised St George that his people would be baptised. The king agreed and St George killed the dragon after piercing it with his sword beneath its wings. He also saved the Princess!

This story, though, was actually made up (during the twelfth century, hundreds of years after his death – the dragon was another way to describe the devil!) Historians believe that St George was never a knight in shining armour… He had never slain a dragon, and he wasn’t a knight either. Regardless of whether the tale is true or not, St George is a symbol of courage in the face of adversity, as well as the English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry.

But what is his connection to England?

During the First Crusade to Jerusalem in 1098, it is said that St George appeared as a vision to lead the Christian knights during a siege. About 100 years later, King Richard III fashioned his army’s uniform on the cross of St. George.

On St George’s Day, a lot of people celebrate with a nice, traditional English meal. Some of the most traditional meals are fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, roast dinner or afternoon tea.

Shepherd’s pie

St. George’s Day is not a public holiday. It is celebrated with parades, dancing and other activities. These activities range from Morris Dancing to even watching a puppet show (Punch and Judy shows).  St. George is also the patron saint of scouting, so the scouts often take part in a parade on St George’s Day.

 

Around St George’s Day, you might see a white flag with a red cross. This is St George’s emblem and also the flag of England.  Flags with the image of St George’s cross are flown on some buildings, especially pubs, and a few people wear a red rose on their lapel. The hymn “Jerusalem” (based on the poem written by William Blake in 1804) is also sung in cathedrals, churches and chapels.

 

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I shall not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green & pleasant land.

(William Blake)

 

St George’s Day Activities

St George’s Dragons  

  1. These great paper plate dragons are really easy and inexpensive to make. Paint two paper plates each in contrasting colours. Cut one in half to create the dragon’s body and then draw the head, tails and wings onto the other one. Carefully cut these out. With the flat edge of the body at the bottom, use PVA glue to attach the head on the left corner and the tail on the right. For the wings, attach one to the front of the plate on the top curved edge, and the other behind next to it. Stick on some googly eyes and give your dragon a smiley or fierce mouth. Finally, paint a lolly-pop stick green (or the same colour as the body), and attach this to the bottom of your dragon on the reverse of the plate.   
  2. Make your fierce dragon out of a sock (preferably green, but any other colour will do as well!) On the heel add the tongue and sew (or glue with a hot glue gun!) the mighty dragon wings, mouth, nose and eyes made out of felt.

For the eyes (you can also use googly eyes) :

For the mouth:

For the muzzle:

For the wings:

 

This is our dragon!!!

 

For more wonderful activities visit:

Creative Station

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William Shakespeare’s birthday

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William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers ever. Although he lived some 400 years ago, his plays and poems are still read and performed all over the world.

He was born on 23rd April (or… thereabouts) 1564. He died when he was 52 … exactly … on 23rd April 1616. What a terrible 52nd birthday! (Actually, the exact birth date is not very certain, but it would have been shortly before his christening on 26th April).

Where did this amazing writer come from? How did he spent his childhood? What did he do when he was a young man? How much do we know about Shakespeare himself? The answer is: … not much!

We know he was born in Stratford upon Avon, a market town in the middle of England, in Henley Street (about two days from London by … horse!) This house is now the Birthplace Museum (and is furnished as it would have been in Shakespeare’s time)

We also know he was born into a wealthy middle-class family: his father, John, was a merchant who worked as a glove-maker 9but also traded in wool and timber), his mother, Mary came from a rich family and William probably worked with his father as a glove maker.

At the local grammar school (where middle class boys like William went) he studied maths, religion, literature and Latin.

At the age of 18 he married a woman called Anne Hathaway (8 years older than him!)They had three children, a daughter and twins (one of them, Hamnet, sadly, died at the age of 11). His wife stayed in Stratford looking after their children (she probably never saw his plays!). In his will Shakespeare left his wife his second-best bed (what happened to his first-best bed remains a mystery…)

In the 1580s, Shakespeare said goodbye to his family and set off to seek fortune in London. The sights and sounds of the bustling city had a big effect on his writing. While he was in London he wrote 37 plays (and performed in some of them as an actor himself!) If Shakespeare had stuck to glove-making, poetry (he wrote sonnets, mostly about love, which were considered more respectable than plays!) and acting, we’d probably have never heard of him – the plays are the reason why we remember him today. He wrote 10 comedies (mostly with happy endings), 3 so-called ‘Problem Plays’ (mainly comedies with unhappy endings), 10 Histories (about real people from the history of England), 6 Romances (comedies that aren’t really that funny) and 10 Tragedies (plays with lots of violence and deaths).

London at the time was a great place for a playwright because it had many theatres, including the Globe. In those days people loved going to the theatre as much as people love watching football matches today (sometimes audiences got rowdy – shouting rude comments or throwing apples if they got bored-  and wanted to get involved in the action). But it was also a dangerous place plagued by religious conflict and the plague! The Lord Mayor and the Puritans saw theatres as a threat to law and religion and were always trying to close down the playhouses. Moreover, outbreaks of the terrible disease were so bad that the playhouses had to stay closed for over two years.

7 years after Shakespeare died (1623) his friends paid for a collection of his plays (36) to be published (known as the First Folio), without which great plays (such as Macbeth) would be lost forever. The ‘Authorship Question’ , whether Shakespeare (an uneducated glove-maker’s son) or somebody else produced such brilliant works arises partly because of the fact that no copies of the plays in Shakespeare’s handwriting have ever been found.

Today, Shakespeare’s plays still excite audiences of all nationalities. The plays have been put on in modern dress, as operas, musicals, ballets and films. But, apart from his plays his legacy lives on. In fact, many of his words and phrases have become part of our everyday lives. If you have ever tried to ’break the ice’ (strike up conversation with a stranger), gone on a ‘wild goose chase’ (a search for something that isn’t there), have a ‘heart of gold’ (being kind) or used words such as ‘hostile‘ (an unfriendly person), ‘lonely’, ‘ode’ (a lyrical poem), and many others,  then you are using the words and phrases of the great playwright, the Bard, Shakespeare himself!

 

Visit my virtual museum for some more information on his life and works:

For a better look:

Shakespeare’s Museum

 

For younger children:

2 minute Shakespeare stories with comprehension activities

 

For interesting facts visit this site:

Shakespeare’s Birthplace trust

Watch a celebration of William Shakespeare with my favourite theatre group Dave’n’Luke (David Gibson & Luke Prodromou, along with David Crystal – Penelope Prodromou – Judy Boyle – Nick Michelioudakis, sponsored by the British Council & Global ELT)

All the World’s a stage

 

Easter

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Easter is a very important Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is celebrated by Christians throughout the world.

In the Christian faith Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to live on Earth as a man. When Jesus became 33 years old he taught the word of God to his 12 disciples and the people and gained many followers. The leaders in Jerusalem captured Jesus because he claimed to be the Son of God and took him to the Roman ruler of Jerusalem at the time, Pontius Pilate. Pilate found Jesus not guilty but under the pressure of the Jewish leaders allowed Jesus to be crucified. Jesus was tortured and crucified (on a Friday, Good Friday), but after three days, on Sunday, he rose from the dead (resurrected), which brought the defeat of death and the hope of salvation to people.

Easter day moves around on the calendar each year, but is always on a Sunday. It is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also different for Catholic and Orthodox Christians (the Orthodox Easter always falls later than the Catholic one – between one and four weeks after Catholic Easter).

There are various customs, religious and secular connected to Easter.

Would you like to learn about the different Easter traditions in various countries around Europe? Press here:

For a closer look: 

Easter customs around Europe

You can also read many Easter books in Mrs Mary’s book library:

For a closer look: 

Easter Library

Or visit this Easter craft library:

For a closer look: 

Easter Craft Library

Peter Cottontail and his cousin, Easter Hare wish you all a ‘Hoppy Easter’!