The feast of Saint George is mobile, although not many people know it. Georges and Georgies celebrate every year according to the date on which Easter falls.
We should note, however, that according to the Orthodox tradition, even though the calendar includes more than 50 figures with the name “George”, the saint officially celebrated is Saint George the Great Martyr and Trophy Bearer.
Saint George 2024 – When does it fall this year?
The feast of St. George changes every year, depending on Easter.
Specifically, when Easter falls before April 23then the memory of Saint George is celebrated on 23/04, otherwise it is moved to Easter Monday.
As this year Easter will be celebrated on May 5, the feast of Saint George for 2024 will take place on Easter Monday, i.e. on May 6.
The reason this happens is because the feast of St. George is determined by Easter, the date of which, as you know, shifts every year. In particular, the feast of St. George is movable, because during the season of Lent, from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning there is mourning.
Therefore, there are no festive celebrations, which means that not only the feast of St. George, but also all the holidays that coincide with Lent and Holy Week, are moved to Sunday. More specifically, they move to the Sunday before them or for the week of Intercalation, i.e. the week after Easter Sunday.
Who was Saint George?
Saint George came from Cappadocia and lived in the late 3rd to early 4th century. He was a scion of an aristocratic family and an officer in the Roman army. In 303 AD, when Emperor Diocletian ordered the persecution of Christians, George did not hesitate to confess his Orthodox faith, incurring the emperor’s wrath.
At first, Diocletian, who valued Saint George, offered him riches, land and slaves to persuade him to convert, and when George refused, the Roman Emperor subjected him to horrific torture.
Christian tradition describes that after they stabbed him, they tore off his flesh and then threw him into a pit of boiling lime. In the end, they forced the Saint to walk in hot metal shoes. But, as the religious texts say, in all these trials, God miraculously kept Saint George alive.
Finally, Saint George was martyred by beheading, on Friday, April 23 of the year 303 AD. The Christians took his remains and buried them with those of his mother, who was martyred on the same or the following day.
