The feast of Saint George is considered one of the most important in Orthodoxy. Because some of the hymns sung in his honor include references to the Resurrection, it can never be celebrated before Easter.

Therefore, if Easter falls after April 23, the feast is moved to Easter Monday.

However, this year, Easter came earlier, so Saint George’s Day is celebrated today.

The Life and Martyrdom of Saint George

According to Orthodox tradition, although the Church calendar includes over 50 saints named George, the one officially commemorated is Saint George the Great Martyr and Trophy-Bearer.

He lived during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, in the late 3rd to early 4th century. He came from Cappadocia in Asia Minor, from an aristocratic family, and served as an officer in the Roman army.

In 303 AD, when Diocletian began persecuting Christians, George boldly professed his Christian faith. This enraged the emperor, particularly since George held a high military rank and was one of Diocletian’s trusted officers.

Initially, the emperor offered him wealth, land, and slaves to renounce his faith. When George refused, he was subjected to horrific torture.

Christian tradition recounts that Saint George was speared, his flesh was torn with a wheel of knives, he was thrown into a pit of boiling lime, and later forced to walk in red-hot iron shoes. Miraculously, God preserved him through all these torments.

Eventually, George was martyred by beheading on Friday, April 23, 303 AD. According to the Christian historian and apologist Saint Eusebius, this date coincided with Bright Friday (Friday of Easter Week).

Christians took his body and buried it alongside his mother’s, who was martyred on the same or following day. Tradition says George’s faithful servant, Pasikratis, fulfilled his master’s final wish by taking their remains to Lydda in Palestine. The Crusaders later brought them to the West.

Customs Across Greece

• In Olvio, Xanthi, the traditional “pehlivans” (oil wrestlers) custom is revived. Young men, dressed in leather pants and covered in oil, wrestle in a form of Greco-Roman style wrestling. The winner is the one who pins his opponent or removes his pants. The custom is said to reenact Saint George’s battle with the dragon and was brought to Greece by refugees from Constantinople.
• In Anthi, Serres, the same wrestling tradition is honored, tracing back to Ottoman times when local heroes wrestled and defeated Turkish champions after receiving Saint George’s blessing.
• In Neo Souli, Serres, the “dragon-slaying” is reenacted by local youth, portraying Saint George’s victory over the dragon. This annual event draws large crowds and is followed by feasting, music, and traditional dancing.
• In Arachova, Boeotia, Saint George is honored with a three-day festival called “Panigiraki,” featuring cultural events, traditional contests, folk dances, and music. During the procession, the icon of the saint is accompanied by locals in traditional dress.
• In Asi Gonia, Chania (Crete), shepherds bring their flocks to the church of Saint George the Milker. The animals, adorned with melodic bells, are herded into a corral outside the church and milked one by one, receiving the saint’s blessing.
• In many regions across Greece, impromptu horse races are held in honor of the saint (such as in Kalliopi, Lemnos; Platy, Messinia; and Agios Georgios, Mesolongi).

Saint George and the Scarves – “Mantilas” Tradition

On Saint George’s Day in Kastraki, Kalabaka, the unique “mantila” (scarf) tradition is revived, centered on the small chapel of Saint George “Mantilas.”

Locals and visitors from all over Greece honor the saint by offering a scarf and receive a piece of one from previous years as a keepsake. These older scarves are brought down from the ruined monastery by climbers or daring individuals who scale the cliffs to retrieve them – a difficult and sometimes dangerous task – and they hang the new scarves in their place.

Simultaneously, a Divine Liturgy is held at the chapel.

The tradition began long ago, when a Turkish soldier was cutting trees in Saint George’s sacred grove. During the process, a tree trunk fell and seriously injured him. His wife, in desperation, removed her veil and offered it to the saint, praying for his healing.

A local man climbed to the chapel to place the scarf, and the soldier recovered. The act started a tradition that continues to this day.