Dear Susie,
St George is the most universal martyr ever as there is NO Christian calendar anywhere that doesn't have his day.
In Ukraine and Russia - and Roumania, St George's day marks the beginning of the agricultural year and blessings are done over the fields.
St George's Day in November (the consecration of his Church in Kyiv) marks the end of the agricultural year before winter.
In England, St George became the patron saint after King Richard the Lionheart defeated a group of Saracens in the Holy Land after invoking his intercession - and red cross appeared over a white cloud and thus the flag of the Cross of St George as England's flag (which is also the flag of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem).
On St George's day, it is traditional for laity to wear a red rose and also a blue coat in imitation of the knights of St George.
The "George" is the knightly medal of St George and Shakespeare once wrote in one of his plays, "Gaze upon my George and see that I am no crestless yeoman!"
We also commemorate Diocletian's wife, St Alexandra, who was martyred with ST George who instructed her in the Christian faith. And I was named after my great grandmother, Alexandra.
Many provinces in Canada bear the red cross of St George, as does Ontario.
Alex
