St George's School, St George's Day 2018;
On Monday 23 April 2018, St George's International School in Luxembourg-Hamm hosted a St George's Day event at the school, with a number of guests invited, including the Ambassadors of Britain and Austria to Luxembourg.
Dr Christian Barkei, School Principal, opened the event by talking about St George who was born in 280 AD, and had typical English virtues of chivalry, etc. He never set foot in England - he was a Christian martyr and became a Roman soldier and then a bodyguard of the emperor. After he became a Christian, he was beheaded on 23 April AD 303.
On the legend of the dragon linked to St George, it was based on a story from a town in Libya; the townsfolk offered a princess as an offering to the dragon so they could get water, but she was saved by a knight (riding by on a white horse).
King Edward III then made him patron saint of England, and St George's flag was adopted by Richard the Lionheart. Then, St George's Day (23 April) was declared a feast day in 1415, but not a public holiday.
Albania also has St George as their patron saint; St George is also celebrated in other countries and regions on different days and in different ways.
The St George's Primary Choir, comprising 40+ pupils, then performed two songs: "Can you hear me?" which included some sign language, and "Sing me a Song".
The Head Boy (Mr Utting) and the Head Girl (Miss Sharma) then both talked about their experiences in the school, including both their academic and extra-curricular activities, as well as the help they are currently receiving regarding their university applications.
St George's Primary classes then performed Edward Lear's The Owl and the The Pussycat (Year 1), and the audience were then treated to a short video scripted and recorded on an iPad about St George and the Dragon, by the Early Years Foundation stage.
Two music pupils, Siddarth and Rahul, then performed pieces on the piano, including a four-hands piece. This was followed by three Lamda drama students - the first from Confessions of a Shopaholic, the second a song "I hate Men" from Kiss me Kate, and thirdly a piece by Alan Ackbourn.
Following the cultural performances, the guests were treated to a traditional Tea Party.
