St Who? England's national day a non-event for most

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — The cross of Saint George flew over Downing Street on Wednesday, but efforts to urge the English to take more pride in their long-neglected national day fell mainly on deaf ears.

While Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated across the globe by the Irish, the remotely Irish and anyone else who fancies a jolly-up, Saint George's Day just doesn't seem to register in the same way -- even in England.

The vast majority of English people would be extremely hard put to name the date of their national day, and most are more likely to know France's July 14 Bastille Day or the July 4 holiday in the United States.

The fact that Saint George's day is not a public holiday only adds to the general lack of interest.

The non-event on April 23 is punctuated...