April 23, 2015

World Book Day - A day to promote reading, publishing and copyright around the world. Sponsored by UNESCO and first celebrated in 1995. International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day - Started in 2007 as a reaction to a statement by author Howard V. Hendrix who felt that stories being published on the internet for free, specifically sci-fi and fantasy were causing the venerated art of being an author to fall into disrepute. Far too much garbage going out. Jo Walton called for the publications of professional level writing to be put out on the web during this time. St. George’s Day - The Saint day for England even though St. George is from a region in Spain, it has seen some resurgence in recent years. Mentioned as early as the 600s, St George has been said to have been with the English at the Battle of Agincourt and the highest Order of Knighthood in England is the the Order of the Garter which under St. George’s banner. Not only that but it is also included in the Union Jack, what many people think is the English flag but is actually the flag of Great Britain. That is the white, red and blue flag and it incorporates the banners of St Patrick (of Ireland), St Andrew (of Scotland) and of course St. George. Back in the 15th century the feast day was almost as big an event as Christmas, though of course Christmas was a completely different thing than we see today. The day did start to less in attention through the years though seems to be coming back. It is a day to celebrate things English. And to tie it back to the start it is also the reason England does not have Book Day on the 23 of April but instead has theirs on the first Thursday in March.