April 23
St. George's Day (Sant Jordi’s Day)

 

Image:Paolo Uccello 050.jpg

Saint George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello
 

Saint George is one of the most celebrated saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church and venerated as the patron saint of of Aragón, Canada, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Russia, and Palestine. George is also the patron saint of soldiers, Boy Scouts, the Corinthians (the Brazilian football team), and people with herpes and syphilis. George's connection to syphilis in murky, but soldiers and syphilis have long been connected. According to military.com, "herpes genitalis., acute or chronic, not amenable to treatment" is a medical disqualifications for joining the US Army includes . So praying to St. George for untreatable herpes might be an effective strategy in times of war for those less patriotic who otherwise might be dratted.

The soldier/saint's legend survives primarily because of the myth of George as the knight who slew the dragon (the symbol of the devil) to protect a virgin. This story was a medieval embellishment of the saint's life that has captured the imagination of artists for centuries. The details of George's life are sketchy. He was a third century Roman officer from the Anatolia, now modern day Turkey, during the third century and a favorite of the Emperor Diocletian. However, George became revolted at Diocletian's increasing sadism in the persecution and torture of the Christians and eventually rebuked the Emperor in public. Diocletian took revenge on George and subjected him to several days of torture including laceration on a wheel of swords, after which he was executed by decapitation.

The story of St George and the dragon was brought back with the Crusaders. According to the legend, a dragon made its nest at the spring that provided water for a city in Libya. The local residents had to dislodge the dragon from its nest in order to collect water. To do so, each day they offered the dragon a human sacrifice. The victim is chosen by drawing lots. One day, the victim was the princess. The monarch begs for her life with no result. She is offered to the dragon, but suddenly George appears.  He slays the dragon and rescues the princess. The grateful citizens abandon their ancestral paganism and convert to Christianity.

St. George's cult was very strong in the Eastern Orthodox Church for several centuries before the saint became venerated in the West. The cult surrounding St. George,. however, rapidly spread after several prominent military figures had visions of the saint, including Richard the Lionhearted. During the Crusades, St. George allegedly appeared to Richard the Lionhearted in a vision, mounted on a white horse, and led the Christian army to victory. Subsequent appearances to other English military leaders including Henry V resulted in his appointment as the patron saint of England.

St. George's Day is England's national holiday
and is traditionally the occasion when the Queen announces new appointments to the Order of the Garter. It is occasionally celebrated in some English cities and towns with parades and some of the marchers sporting the traditional  red rose in their lapel. The wearing of the rose comes from the legend that a red rose sprouted miraculously from a drop of the slain dragon's blood which George, in turn, gave to a princess.

His feast is also celebrated thought Eastern Europe and especially in Spain where, in Barcelona,
George's day coincides with the Fair of the Book and the Rose in Catalonia. In Barcelona, it is estimated that men give their wives and girl friends over four million roses on that day. In return for the gift of a rose, women traditionally give their men a book is in memory of Cervantes. This custom was started in 1926 to commemorate Cervantes' death on this date. Another popular Barcelona tradition is the celebration of the day with a cake called Pastel Sant Jordi..

Enjoy a slice with a viewing of George and the Dragon (2004), an enjoyable comedy/adventure retelling of the medieval legend in which a dragon kidnaps a princess (Piper Perabo) to help protect its egg. She is rescued by her fiancé Patrick Swayze whom she detests and James Purefoy (George) who  later only pretends to have slain the dragon, because he feels sympathy for her.  The dragon eventually saves George's life by swallowing Patrick Swayze, and George and the the Princess live happily ever after.

 

Pastel Sant Jordi
  (St. George's Cake)

 

Ingredients
Cake Frosting
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 & 3/4 cup flour
2 TB grated orange zest
butter for greasing pan
1/2 cup butter
 
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 TB Marsala wine
confectioners sugar for dusting

 
Instructions
 
  1. Preheat over to 450º F.

  2. Make frosting. Cream butter, beat in chocolate, yolk, vanilla, and Marsala. Set aside.

  3. Separate whites and yolks from  6eggs. Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff. Fold in flour and zest very gently.

  4. Pour batter into a buttered 8"x12" cake pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven and invert over a cake
    rack to remove. Allow to cool thoroughly.

  5. Cut cake lengthwise into three equal pieces. Place first piece on cake place and frost. Place second piece over f
    irst and frost. Top with third piece and frost. Dust with confectioners sugar.

 

© 2013 Gordon Nary