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What are the United Kingdom's national flowers?

The Patron Saints

St. David, Patron Saint of Wales (Saint’s Day March 1)

St. David (or Dewi Sant in Welsh) was born in either the late fifth or early sixth century AD, but the first written records of his story come from the eleventh century. David was born of Celtic nobility and, as a youth, was educated in a monastery. Although he was described as tall and strong, he was a gentle man who ate mainly bread and herbs and drank only water. In fact, he is sometimes called David the water drinker. Once he reached manhood, David travelled all over Wales teaching the Christian faith and performing miracles, including bring a young boy back to life. The most famous story of David is that he attended an assembly of holy men who were deciding on who would be the Archbishop of Wales. When David got up to speak, the earth rose up under his feet until everyone could see him. St. David was canonized in 1120.

St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Northern Ireland (Saint’s Day, March 17)

Saint Patrick was born in Scotland. When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold into slavery in Northern Ireland. For six years he worked as a Sheppard, before an Angel told him to leave. He returned to Britain and quickly came under the tutelage of St. Germain. It was Germain that sent Patrick to Rome and from there to a mission in Ireland. Patrick spent the rest of his life performing miracles and converting the inhabitants of Ireland. His most famous deed was to banish all of the snakes from Ireland, though these snakes may have been a metaphor for Druids or other practitioners of paganism. Patrick has never been formally canonized by the Pope.

St. George, Patron Saint of England (Saint’s Day, April 23)

St. George was born in Turkey sometime in the third century. At the age of seventeen he joined the Roman army and became renowned for his bravery and feats of arms. The most famous story of St. George is that he slew a Dragon somewhere in Libya. On one of his missions, St. George was sent to England. While in England he heard about the horrible persecutions of Christians in Rome. Returning to Rome, George pleaded for mercy for the Christians, but in the end was himself beheaded when he refused to renounce his faith. In 1222 AD, the Council of Oxford declared St. George as the Patron Saint of England (replacing Edward the Confessor).

St. Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland (Saint’s Day, November 30)

St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter and one of the original twelve Apostles of Christ. He is thought to have gone on missions, spreading the faith in Asia Minor and Greece, before he was crucified by the Romans. After his death, he was entombed and 300 years later his bones were dug up by the Roman Emperor Constantine. However, a Greek Monk, named St. Rule was commanded by an angel to protect the remains. He managed to steal some of the bones and fled to Scotland. These were housed in St. Andrew’s Cathedral until they were lost during the Scottish reformation. In 1969, Gordon Gray was appointed the first Scottish Cardinal following the reformation. At this time, Pope Paul VI gave Gray a few relics of St. Andrew to take back to Scotland.




What are the United Kingdom's national flowers?

The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England’s emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses – civil wars (1455 – 1485) between the royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York (whose emblem was a white rose). The Yorkist regime ended with the defeat of King Richard III by the future King Henry VII at Bosworth on August 22, 1485. Henry VII united the two roses into the Tudor rose (a red rose with a white center) when he married Elizabeth of York.

The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leafed plant similar to clover that is said to have been used by St Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The motif of the linen or flax plant has also been adopted by Northern Ireland. Six flowers signify the six counties which make up Northern Ireland, while the plant itself is a reminder of the history and importance of linen in Northern Ireland's agriculture and manufacturing industries.

The Scottish national flower is the thistle, a prickly-leafed purple flower that was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence.

The three plants – the rose, thistle and shamrock – are often displayed beneath the shield of the Royal Coat of Arms.

The national flower of Wales is usually considered to be the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David’s Day. However, the leek is also considered to be a traditional emblem of Wales, possibly because its colours, white over green, echo the ancient Welsh standard.

 


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 930


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