More than 75,000 people have signed a petition calling for St George’s Day to be made a national bank holiday.
Celebrated annually on April 23, St George’s Day is the feast day of England’s patron saint, St George.
Londoner John Kelly has now launched a petition calling on England to follow the lead of Scotland and Northern Ireland, which hold public holidays on their saint days -St Andrew’s Day and St Patrick’s Day.
“Scotland celebrates St Andrew's Day, Wales honours St David's Day and Northern Ireland observes St Patrick's Day as public holidays,” Mr Kelly, who reportedly lives in east London, wrote on the petition.“St George has been the patron saint of England since the 14th century and his emblem, a red cross on a white background, is incorporated into the Union Jack flag representing unity among nations in the UK.“Recognising this day as a national holiday would provide an opportunity for people across England to celebrate their shared history and cultural identity while also acknowledging their unique contribution to the United Kingdom.
“We believe that it is time for England to join its fellow home nations in celebrating its patron saint with a dedicated public holiday on St George’s Day.”
Launched on March 9, the petition had garnered more than 76,000 signatures by lunchtime on April 23.
Among those who signed was Sue Pilkington, who wrote: “Every year St George's day gets less publicity and less celebrated! It should be a bank holiday!”
“I strongly believe that St George's Day should be an official bank holiday,” wrote Norman Webster, while Emmet Cullen wrote simply: “I like holidays”.
St George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 - the day when the patron saint was executed by the Romans more than 1,000 years ago, in 303 AD.According to legend, St George was born in Cappadocia, in what is now modern day Turkey.
Once a soldier in the Roman army, he rose up the ranks to become a member of the Praetorian Guard for the Emperor Diocletian.
He is said to have been tortured and later executed by the Romans for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. He became a martyr for early Christians, who later venerated him as a saint.
England currently enjoys eight bank holidays every year. They fall on New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, while three further bank holidays are held in early May, late May, and late August.
Last year, Brits enjoyed an extra bank holiday on May 8 to celebrate the King’s coronation.
Scottish Parliament declared St Andrew’s Day a bank holiday in 2006, giving Scots a total of nine annual bank holidays.
Ireland enjoys 10 bank holidays each year, including St Patrick’s Day on March 17. This was last year increased from nine in 2022, by the declaration of St Brigid’s Day in early February as a new bank holiday.
Wales does not observe a bank holiday on the feast day of its patron saint, St David, despite 87 per cent of Welsh people voting for one in 2007.
