But most people are unlikely to be aware that there is any cause for celebration. St George, a third century martyr, dragon-slayer, rescuer of maidens, figurehead for the Crusaders and patron saint of England has been gradually forgotten over the centuries.

The return of St George

Lawrence Bresh from the Tourist Board said he hopes that the St George celebrations will encourage both English people and visiting tourists to go out and discover what England has to offer.

The special events include music festivals, cider drinking and medieval dragon-fighting tournaments, all designed to make the English reflect fondly upon their nationality.

No bank holiday

A spokesman at the Department for Trade and Industry said that the prospect "was not even being considered". So any celebrating will have to be done outside of work hours.

A toast to St George

English wine growers are hoping revellers will toast St George with a glass of home grown wine. They are also planning to invade France and challenge the locals to sample some of their finest wine from grapes grown in the fields of Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Kent.

Oddly, English wine is cheaper in France than it is in Britain, but it remains to be seen if this added value will tempt our Gallic cousins to try a bottle.

The Church of England has also helped to boost St George's day in recent years. In 1996, the General Synod voted to give the day the status of a full festival after it fell out of religious favour during the Reformation.

Greetings cards

If you decide that you really want to get into the spirit of the event, greetings card companies are now selling "Happy St George's Day" cards.

One company based in Yorkshire even offers a "Special St George's Day theme pack" which includes a "PVC dragon banner", "English rose garlands" and a "six-piece Crusader Armour D�cor Set".

The mystery man

There is very little information about the life St George, but it is known that he was not English. He is thought to have been an early Christian martyr from the area of modern day Turkey, who was executed in Palestine in the third century.

Patron saint

St George was popularised in England by Crusaders, Christian knights returning from religious wars in the Middle East. He was supposed to have appeared to the Knights dressed in white robes decorated with a red cross during the 11th century siege of Antioch.

He became the official patron saint of England in 1425 after Henry V's victory at the Battle of Agincourt. The Red Cross of St George is England's national flag and it also forms part of Britain's Union Jack.

However, the English are not the only people to stake a claim in St George. In the Middle East, Christians invoke his powers to help exorcise demons. In many countries St George is associated with fertility and his day marks the very beginning of summer. In Lithuania he is revered as the guardian of animals and in parts of Spain St George's day is celebrated with feasts and gift giving.