Today, April 23rd is Saint George’s Day. Saint George is the Patron Saint of England and the red cross of Saint George forms part of the British Union Jack (flag).

Patronages of Saint George:

  • Patron saint of Georgia and Portugal.
  • In Canada, St George’s Day is a provincial holiday in Newfoundland and Labrador that is observed on the Monday closest to April 23 each year.
  • In Germany, Saint George is the patron saint of the German city of Freiburg im Breisgau. He also appears on the coats of arms of several German towns and cities, including Bamberg, Bürgel, Dießen am Ammersee, Eisenach, Mengeringhausen, Schwarzenburg and Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald.
  • In Italy, Saint George is one of the Patron Saints of Locorotondo, Genoa, Milan, as well as the patron Saint of Ferrara and Reggio Calabria.
  • Saint George is the patron saint of Beirut, Lebanon.
  • Saint George is one of the patron saints of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Gozo.
  • In Spain, Saint George is the patron Saint of both Aragon and Catalonia.
  • In the USA, St George is the patron Saint of the Boy Scouts of America.

The name George has many country-specific variations such as Jiri, Gerhard, Georg and Georgios and today is their name day.

What is a Name Day?

In many countries, people don’t just have a birthday but a name day as well. In some countries a name day is even more important than a birthday.

Usually, each first name is assigned to one day of the calendar which corresponds to the feast day of a Saint. On that day you should wish that person “Happy Name Day”. The best thing about name days is that you don’t need to know your friend’s birthday, just their name, in order to send them a greeting.

When is my Name Day?

You can search for your name day on www.happynameday.com