23rd of April - St Georges Day
23rd of April is the 113th day of the year
St Georges Day:
St George’s Day (April 23rd as the saint died on that day in 303AD) was declared a feast day for England in 1222, when the Synod of Oxford so decided, but as early as the time of Bede the day had been marked in this country. In medieval times our English patron saint's day was as vigorously celebrated as Christmas, a sign of national identity, and it is probably for the same reason that the power of the day declined in the 18th century after the Act of Union. George was a member of the Roman nobility in the Palestine of the late 3rd century, who became a member of the Emperor Diocletian’s guard. He publically denounced anti-Christian moves by the Emperor and was martyred for it, by his acceptance of suffering converting some important witnesses to his death. By happy coincidence Shakespeare, our greatest author, was born (it is supposed) and died (it is known) on what is our national day.
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