23rd April - Turkey and England


As anyone English knows, 23rd April is our patron saint's day.  According to Wikipedia, St George was a solder of Cappadocian Greek origins, so came from Turkey.  He died on 23rd April 303AD.  He was chosen as England's patron Saint in 1350, by King Edward III. St George was admired for his bravery in the face of terrible suffering, and he was popular among European Knights and military men.  He's also the patron saint of many cities and villages around the world.

 For some strange reason it has never been a bank holiday in England and most English people don't celebrate it, yet will celebrate St Patrick's day! I always tried to celebrate St George's Day by wearing a red rose; the national flower of England, but over the years have been asked either if I was going to a wedding or, in Yorkshire, was it Lancashire Day!

 Sadly today, if you do celebrate the day, or fly the flag, you are assumed to be a right wing, zenophobe which certainly isn't the case with me.

 In Turkey, 23rd April is National Sovereignty and Children's Day and is a national holiday.  The founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, presented April 23 to all the world's children to emphasise that they are successor of the future.  Under normal circumstances there would be celebrations throughout the week with the children at the fore front, taking part in performances.  Sadly this year, they along with the rest of us, are on a four day lock down so are only able to celebrate their day by playing alone.
By user:ozgurmulazimoglu - Own work, CC BY 3.0

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