Councillors and staff marked St George’s Day by raising the national flag at its Cambourne headquarters on Tuesday 23 April 2013.
A short ceremony took place outside South Cambridgeshire District Council’s business park offices to mark the occasion where the Council’s Chairman and Vice Chairman asked people to take a moment to reflect on the place we live.
The ceremony was well attended in particular by Members as the third workshop on the new Local Development Plan was taking place that morning, and the Planning Portfolio holder had allowed a short break at the request of some members, including me.
A bit of History
In 1222 the Council of Oxford declared April 23 to be St George’s Day but it was not until 1348 that St George became the Patron Saint of England.
In 1415, St George’s Day was declared a national feast day and holiday in England but after the union with Scotland at the beginning of the end of the 18th Century, the tradition diminished and since has not been widely acknowledged and is no longer a national holiday.
Traditional customs were to fly the St George’s flag and wear a red rose in one’s lapel. The Council’s Chairman, Cllr Tony Orgee spotted and acknowledged the fact that someone in the audience was wearing the rose in keeping with tradition.
One cannot but keep wondering why this day is not celebrated with a public holiday in England!
Who is that in the gold coloured top, I wonder?
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