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The Breakroom => The Water Cooler => Topic started by: awemawson on April 23, 2019, 03:06:08 AM

Title: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: awemawson on April 23, 2019, 03:06:08 AM
Today, 23rd April is St Georges day. St George is the patron saint of England, but he wasn't English - he was born in Cappodocia in Turkey of Greek ancestry and probably was an officer in the Roman Praetorian Guard. He died (by decapitation) in Lyyda in Palestine this day in AD303 for refusing to recant his Christian faith.

But then, St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland wasn't Scottish - again of Greek origin he died by crucifixion (but bound by ropes not nailed so that was OK !) He is also the patron saint of The Ukraine, Roumania and Russia !

So what about St Patrick patron saint of Ireland? Well he was Romano-English being born in Glannoventa in Cumbria, and only went to Ireland initially as he was shang-hied by pirates and sold as a slave in Dublin. When he escaped he returned to try and convert them!

The last kingdom of the UK is Wales of course, with St David as Patron Saint. Now he actually WAS welsh and seems to have been an all round 'good chap' being the Bishop of Mynyw (how DO you pronounce THAT?) during the 6th Century.

Despite all that, St George IS our patron Saint and we are holding a dinner party this evening to celebrate with friends as symbolically he represents England as opposed to the UK

Put out a flag - we have   :clap:
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Pete W. on April 23, 2019, 05:22:58 AM
Hi there, Andrew,

A happy St. George's Day to you and yours.  Thank you for the historical commentary.

I fear that our tenancy agreement forbids our putting out any flags or political display.  Nevertheless, I regard myself as English so I do celebrate St.George's Day and feel justified in doing so because I respect the fair patriotic feelings of the (in alphabetical order) Irish, both North and South, the Scots and the Welsh.

Having written all that, I have so far held off from succumbing to the DNA test offers from Ancestry.com - you never know!!   :zap:   :zap:   :zap: 
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: awemawson on April 23, 2019, 05:51:13 AM
It is also the anniversary of Shakespeare's death, and quite probably also his birth - he was baptised on 26th April but there is no birth record, but it is generally accepted as today (23rd April).

I suppose in times of high infant mortality the baptism was very soon after birth 'just in case'  :scratch:
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Pete. on April 23, 2019, 01:04:53 PM
Same here from me!

We had a St George's day parade in sunny Gravesend (though I was at work so I missed it) and our local shopping centre is called the St George centre.
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: NormanV on May 27, 2019, 12:23:28 PM
Bit late to the party but here goes, as Englishmen we are supposed to be embarrassed by shows of patriotism because the flag of St George has been poached by racists. St George's day is my granddaughter's birthday.
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: awemawson on May 27, 2019, 03:13:27 PM
Norman,

Don't let a minority brow beat you. Be proud of our flag and the heritage that it represents - fly it with pride
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: NormanV on May 27, 2019, 03:45:04 PM
I don't feel brow beaten, I am just angry that the Welsh, the Scots and the Irish  are encouraged to be proud of their flag but to be English seems to be something to be ashamed of.
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: awemawson on May 27, 2019, 04:38:17 PM
Which is why this year I organised a minor celebration with a few friends on St Georges Day, and I'm pleased to say it has triggered the village to organise one on a much larger scale for next year.

Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Will_D on May 28, 2019, 06:02:30 AM
When the Welsh applied to have their flag added onto the Union Jack, the flag design committee ruled that sticking a great big red dragon on it would "ruin the geometric simplicity of the flag"

That's why we are not on it!!
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Pete W. on May 28, 2019, 11:07:13 AM
I've always considered myself to be English and celebrated St. George's Day.  (I also respect the rights of the Irish (North & South), the Scots and the Welsh to celebrate their National Days and their national traditions.)

However, one of my interests is family history research and I've recently succumbed to the latest Ancestry.com price offer on their DNA analysis kit.  I have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the results.  One of the things they claim to reveal is 'ethnicity' - my lovely but shy assistant keeps teasing me by asking how I'm going to feel at being told I'm 53% Tibetan, 15% Uraguayan and the rest Andorran!   :zap:   :zap:   :zap: 

How can they get all that information from a tea spoonful of spit and how can they do it all for £67???    :scratch:   :scratch:   :scratch:     
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Joules on May 28, 2019, 12:17:26 PM
With my luck it would just come back 95% Chimpanzee...
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: awemawson on May 28, 2019, 02:29:22 PM
Well we share 99% of our DNA with Pigs, so you might be a bacon sandwich  actually  :lol:
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: mcostello on May 28, 2019, 02:29:42 PM
Daughter had it done. Thought We were Irish and Hungarian. What the test said was , Hungarian, Slovak, Everything else till You get to Greece and Italy. Finnish or Swede and Irish. Clearly Someone in My lineage has got around. Wife adds Germain and English to that. Her side traceable to US Constitution signer and Mayflower. and almost forgot Nixon.  :doh:
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: tom osselton on May 28, 2019, 05:50:27 PM
So another Genitic test ruined by “ Rape and Plunder? “

They weren’t really into the dance scene.
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: PekkaNF on May 29, 2019, 01:33:59 AM
Those "Ethnicity" results are more entertaining that strictly scinetific. Much fun though.

My relatives come from mothers side from England (1600-something) and someone from Russia at my fathers side. Not surpricingly my DNA showed 100% Fin. Also showed about same amount of distant cousins in Finland and in USA. Rest were distributed evenly on temperate climate countries, pretty much all locations included.

My wife showed 0,8% Finnish, predominantly north American and then some north/south American natives, Iberian, Italian, Balkan, and what not!

Apparently my daughter is 10% Italian, shared that with an Italian fried and she responded that explains her affinity to pasta!

Pekka
Title: Re: Happy St Georges Day everyone
Post by: Pete W. on June 07, 2019, 11:03:36 AM
So, I wrote on 28th May that I'd just sent off my Ancestry.com DNA kit but would have to wait 6 to 8 weeks for the results.  Well, the results arrived in my email this morning!  That's not even two weeks!!!  Maybe the take-up isn't high and that's why they keep having cheap offers?!?!

Anyway, according to Ancestry.com, my ethnicity results are as follows:

England, Wales & Northwestern Europe:   62%
Norway:                                                      13%
Ireland & Scotland:                                      8%
Germanic Europe:                                        8%
Sweden:                                                      7%
France:                                                        2%

The Norway & Sweden results are interesting, my maternal grandmother came from Essex, maybe that coast received a lot of attention from the Vikings?  I haven't researched her forebears very thoroughly, her maiden name was 'Smith'!!!

The France result is interesting too, I guess William of Normandy's associates didn't fancy too many of my female ancestors!

The test results also include a long list of possible cousins, 2nd cousins or higher, but I didn't find any reference to Elizabeth Windsor!!   :D   :D   :D