Happy St George’s Day!

23rd April is an important day in England for two reasons:

It is the day William Shakespeare died
It is St. George’s Day

English, not British

But, being English, we are more likely to celebrate our most famous writer than our national saint. St.George is the patron saint of England – Scotland has St.Andrew and Wales has St.David, while Ireland has the much more popular St.Patrick – but we do not have a national holiday, or a traditional celebration – not even a special meal to eat on our saint’s day.

While St.David is celebrated with the wearing of daffodils, and St Patrick is celebrated with parades and parties, the English prefer to do nothing on their saint’s day. Some people don’t even know the date of St George’s day.

Perhaps it means that we feel more British than English, especially since English history has tales of conquering and oppressing the world, while British history contains democracy, heroism, and freedom fighters. Or perhaps it is because many English people mistake patriotism for nationalism, which has never been an attractive quality in our history.

English Courses in England

How should we celebrate anyway?

Travel around London and you might see some English flags (the red and white cross of St George, instead of the red, white and blue Union Jack flag), but the truth is that the English are more likely to fly our flags for an important football match, than for our national day.

And how would we celebrate anyway? By eating fish and chips in the rain, or wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella? We’re not really sure that there is a proper “English” way of celebrating. So perhaps being quiet and polite about our national day, is the most traditionally English way of all to mark the occasion.

English School

What do you think? Is there a better way to mark St George’s Day? Let us know what you think!

Established in 1964, Wimbledon School of English is one of the oldest English language schools in the UK.

We teach a wide variety of English language courses to people from all over the world. Our school is located in Wimbledon, known throughout the world for the grand slam tennis tournament. Only 20 minutes from Central London, Wimbledon offers you the best of both worlds.

If you would like to learn English in London, you can take an English course with us. We have English classes to suit all levels.

If Wimbledon School of English sounds like the perfect school for you, click on one of the links to find your perfect course:

- English courses for adults

- English courses for teenagers

- English courses for teachers

- English courses for families

We hope to see you in London very soon!