FEASTS, parades and fancy dress street theatre have all been used in South Cumbria to mark St George’s Day.

Until pretty recent times, the annual day of England’s patron saint was remembered in church services and formal dinners by the Barrow branch of the St George’s Society.

Its guest in 1988 was legal expert Giles Wingate Saul who noted: “It’s a pity that St George’s day is not a public holiday.”

In 1993 more than 400 marchers, including a dozen standard bearers, took part in the annual Red Rose Day parade to honour St George.

The Mail, on April 27, noted: “The King’s Own Royal Border Association band led the parade and numbers were swelled with visitors from Workington, Stockport and Carlisle.

“Mayors and mayoresses from Ulverston, Barrow and Dalton attended.”

Also at the event was 96-year-old Barrovian George Hudson, a veteran of both world wars.

In 2007 a weekend of activities was held in Barrow and Ulverston.

The Mail on April 23 noted: “St George was saluted with a parade of flags followed by a procession from Barrow’s town hall to St George’s Church, while pubs were decked out with red and white bunting.

“Hundreds crowded into Ulverston for a colourful day of pageantry and street theatre.

“St George, complete with a white horse, various damsels in distress, goodies and baddies entertained.

“There was a host of events including dragon hat making for children, balloon modelling and face painting."

England’s patron saint is an international man of mystery.

The popular image of St George is of a medieval knight with the a red and white flag whose fame continued into the more modern era with the Victorian’s naming streets and public buildings in his honour at places such as Millom, Barrow and Dalton.

The saint is venerated in many different countries – including Russia, Estonia, Germany and Eithiopia.

For people in the 15th century, the generally accepted view was that George arrived at an Egyprian or Syrian town as a dragon’s breath was bringing pestilence to the land.

Sheep and then young people were sacrificed to the dragon – although in Denmark it is eggs and young people.

Lots were drawn for the human victims and eventually it was the turn of the king’s only daughter.

George attacks the dragon’s mouth or throat with his lance and subdues rather than kills it.

The dragon is led into the town and George offers to kill it if the people convert to Christianity. He then leaves – without the Princess!

It didn’t end well for George. The possibly Roman soldier was tortured – some say for up to seven years – to make him reject his faith. He was eventually beheaded around 303 AD only to be brought back to life by the Virgin Mary as her champion.

By the medieval era he had emerged as a very English figure, clad in armour and riding a white horse.

He was a major figure of veneration for English knights going to fight in the Crusades but both sides in the struggle for the Holy Land and Jerusalem held him in high esteem.