A van, playing patriotic songs is being driven around Ross-on-Wye this afternoon, reminding residents to celebrate St George’s day on Saturday, April 23rd.

St George is the patron saint of England. His emblem forms the English flag, a red cross on a white background.

The most famous legend of Saint George is the tale where he killed a dragon. In this story, St George arrived in a foreign land, where he met a hermit who told him that a dragon had ravaged the country.

The old man told St George that the dragon demanded the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden every day, and all the young girls in the kingdom, with the only exception of the King’s daughter, had been killed. St George was told that the King’s daughter was due to be sacrificed the following day.

St George decided to try to save the princess, so he set out to kill the dragon. He entered into a fierce battle with the poisonous beast, but eventually St George was successful, and the dragon was slain.

The slaying of the dragon by St George was first credited to him in the twelfth century, long after his death. During this time, in the Middle Ages, the dragon was commonly used to represent the Devil.

The story about St George slaying the dragon is just a story. The real St George was a Roman soldier, born to Christian parents. St George protested when Emperor Diocletian started persecuting Christians. It is believed that the Emperor Diocletian tried to make St George deny his faith in Christ, by torturing him. St George never renounced his Christian faith, and he was finally beheaded near Lydda in Palestine on April 23rd, 303 AD.Do you have any special events planned for St George's Day? Let us know in the comments below.