School celebrating multicultural day, on St. George's day.

[ClaryFray]

Hi all,

Just got a Facebook post from DS school saying that on 23rd April they will be celebrating multicultural day the children can wear colors of there flags and share facts with other children. No problems. Had a quick google as I'm a teaching assistant and my work hadn't done anything, normally we run lesson plans around three days if not actual dress up days. And I found the official date was October 15th I think. Thought it was weird, but thought no more of it.

Read out post to DP who says he won't support it until October when the day actually is because they should learn about St. George's day on that day.

A few of the comments I the schools Facebook page are the same nature ignoring a day to try not to offend. But I think DS will enjoy the dress up, I think maybe it's bad timing by the school but can see why. DP says no, DS will be going in uniform or staying off.

Who is BU?

@LucyGayheart all the Guiness would probably be inappropriate for the children

St George's day is English.

Not Just English “St. George is also the Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia.”

There was a huge celebration over St Patrick's day - which s fine and fun - but I can't imagine it being hijacked and everyone being fine with it

It has been, by Guinness - and people don't seem too fussed.

Schools have never celebrated St George's day though have they?

Quite a lot of people don't even know when it is...

Also, frankly, I find the flag of St George embarrassing since it got appropriated by right wing idiots.

So using this day to celebrate multiculturalism makes sense.

As it happens St Davids Day happened to coincide with world book day this year. My children's school had St David's celebrations that day and WBD was celebrated later. At my siblings children's school they did WBD on the 1st and then St Davids Day on the 2nd (at least that was the plan, the snow scuppered it all til the following week).. No one imploded, or had a strop about it. your DH is being ridiculous.

kirsten yes we all know that
But I do not agree that Britain has 'always' been a multicultural country
Nearly 90 % of the population are of European extraction and many of us can trace our ancestors back many hundreds of years
We have our traditions which also go back for centuries
There are more churches and cathedrals in the country than any other faith
I sometimes wonder if people hate the idea of a 'British culture' so much they wish to deny it exists - why do they still want to live in this country?

Thank you for your responses.

I've never celebrated St. George's day. In fact if he hadn't have mentioned it I wouldn't have known it was then.

There was a huge celebration over St Patrick's day - which s fine and fun - but I can't imagine it being hijacked and everyone being fine with it.

Of course, St. Patrick was actually English ....

Mollie you seem to be missing the point that British culture was created from the combination of all the different cultures that created Britain.

I know that St George was neither English nor exclusive to England but 23rd April is St George's Day in England and therefore an English celebration- different thing.

My school didn’t celebrate any of the British patron saints. I went to a faith school and I don’t think we even celebrated the school’s patron saint.

One side of my family are English and no one has ever celebrated it.

My SIL is in Ireland and on St Patrick's day this year it was a 'multicultural day' giving children who aren't Irish the chance to dress up in their traditional clothing and share some facts with the class. It really wasn't an issue and everyone enjoyed it.

honestly I find the idea of St Patricks day being a day to get pissed and wear silly hats quite insulting to the Irish. but that is by the by.

Anyway there is not going to be much excitement about St George's day, because of the perception of English as oppressors., of eg Wales and Ireland, you know the destruction of the Welsh language, the genocide of the Irish, the rape of Africa...

Whether you agree with this or not is irrelevant, it's all about perception

Is your suspicion that the school has chosen to make it "multicultural day" because they feel St George's Day is inherently racist and therefore needs to be compensated for?

If this is the case it is worthy of a complaint.

MolliewithOllie, it might interest you to know that the first recorded black person in England(there may have been others before but not recorded) was a Roman soldier who came over with Caesar in 54 BC.

Of course, St. Patrick was actually English ....

• so I am sure you'd think it perfectly reasonable to stop any St Patrick's day parties on that basis. You could have started with the rugby crowds at Twickenham that day - I'm sure they'd have been perfectly reasonable about it!

@MolliewithOllie I’m not denying that, but there have always been many contributions from other cultures here too, particularly due to the impact of empire but also long before that. I am one of those with many centuries of British ancestry, and I’m very happy with owning my British culture, but that also means recognising the contributions of the rest of the world to that culture.

I think it's a lovely idea.

Most these people who complain don't give a shit about these traditional days and only care once someone dares do something that features "forrin people"

Just like they didn't care about st Patrick's day til it became and excuse to make a load of money dying guineas green or to go out and get pissed.

the first recorded black person in England(there may have been others before but not recorded) was a Roman soldier who came over with Caesar in 54 BC

The legions that guarded Hadrians wall came from the arse end of the Empire - modern day Syria, Iraq, Turkey. Following the usual Roman custom of the day, they would have been awarded land in Britain and encouraged to settle down and have families. All of which has been verified by archaeological examination of bones.

We don't know the colour of their skins - Romans never seemed to notice.

My SIL is in Ireland and on St Patrick's day this year it was a 'multicultural day' giving children who aren't Irish the chance to dress up in their traditional clothing

Same here. Our parade has always had floats from different cultures in our community. It certainly was not just a river of green.

I think it was more of a thing a good few centuries ago, but waned after the Union with Scotland if I remember my primary school history. It’s not like it’s a ‘national day’ like other countries have with a public holiday etc is it?

OP, the point is, does your DH know who ST George was, where he was born and the fact that there are shrines to hi throughout the Muslim World, who, like many others, do actually recognise a day to honour him?

How is that not multicultural? Unless you are all deeply religious and want the day to be about his given Sainthood, that is.

How lucky you are not to be a minority. And for your DH to get worked up over something so unimportant.

I think it's a great idea to celebrate the tolerant and multicultural country England has (supposedly) become. Our tolerance is what makes me proud to be English most of the time.

If my kids school was doing it I'd probably choose a nation in our bloodline (Welsh and Dutch for me and Scottish and Irish for DH) and do it that way as I bet most kid will go the England route so nice to add some extra diversity.

so I am sure you'd think it perfectly reasonable to stop any St Patrick's day parties on that basis.

Funnily enough I didn't say that (except in your head). FGS life is bleak enough as it is. Who doesn't love a party ? (actually, don't answer that. This is MN ). Just be honest and say "we'd love a party" rather than trying to attach some dubious (and frankly unsavoury in places) history to it.

That said, if you are going to celebrate a Saints day - an icon of the Christian Church - then maybe some sort of nod towards the origins ? Giving to the poor ? Helping others less fortunate ?

What makes Britain today are millennia of different people coming. Celtic, Roman, Danish, Viking, Norman, African, Indian, Commonwealth, The Windfall etc.

Seems a multicultural day would be perfect to celebrate England.

Does your husband awknowledge that St George was Turkish, lived in Palestine, and is the patron saint of 10 countries, including Ethiopia? Or does he want it to be a celebration off HIS version of England (ie: white).

Sounds rather white van man.