St George's Day, usually observed annually on April 23, is not set to become a new bank holiday, according to a recent government update. But what is the history of the English Patron Saint's day - and why does it occasionally switch dates?

Saint George's Day commemorates St George, a Roman soldier who, according to Christian tradition, was martyred in 303AD. He became associated with England in the Middle Ages, particularly during the reign of Edward III, and April 23 was fixed as his feast day. Over time, the date became culturally significant, tied to national identity, flags, and civic celebrations across England.

Historically, however, the religious observance of St George can sometimes appear to "move" because of how the Christian calendar works.

In the Church of England and other Christian traditions, feast days can be shifted if they clash with more important liturgical periods such as Easter Week or major saints' days.

When this happens, the celebration is transferred to a nearby available day, meaning church services may not always fall on April 23 itself even though the historical date remains unchanged.

In modern Britain, this creates confusion between the fixed civil date and the flexible religious observance. On top of that, many councils and organisations do not always hold public events on April 23 itself, instead moving celebrations to the nearest weekend for practical reasons. That can make it seem as if St George's Day "moves" each year, even though the official date does not.

Unlike Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, England does not currently have a bank holiday for its patron saint's day. This has led to repeated political debate over whether it should be added to the calendar, especially given comparisons with other UK nations that already mark their patron saints with public holidays.

Most recently, the government has again ruled out making St George's Day a bank holiday. Officials have said there are "no plans" to introduce a change, stressing that the existing pattern of UK bank holidays is well established.

They also point to the economic cost of creating an additional national day off, which has been estimated at around £2 billion for a single one-off bank holiday, due to reduced output across many sectors.

As a result, while St George's Day remains fixed on April 23 in the calendar, its status is unlikely to change in practice. It continues to be marked culturally rather than as a guaranteed day off, and any variation in how it is observed comes from tradition and scheduling choices rather than any official shift in date.