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St Georges Day
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Why celebrate St Georges Day?
St George is the patron saint of England and he is most often portrayed killing a dragon. According to a legend from the 14th century, a menacing dragon was plaguing a pagan town in Libya. The offering of sheep to the dragon did not satisfy him so it was decided to start offering the citizens of the town to the dragon. When it was the local princess' turn to be sacrificed, St George came to the rescue and slaughtered the dragon thus saving the life of the princess. As a result the entire town converted to Christianity.
The story goes, that when St George had killed the dragon, he then offered the princess a red rose and thus it is often the tradition for men to give their wife or girlfriend a red rose on St Georges Day.
Click here for more information on St Georges Day
So what better excuse to party than St Georges Day and wow can you let your imagination go!. Think of dragons, knights, sword fights, damsels in distress, heroes, banquets…
St Georges day party Invitations
Send out invitations in the shape of a shield. Simply make a template of a shield and draw round it on some card. Then paint or color on a big red cross. Ask the children to come dressed up as knights or princesses and to "be ready to slay the dragon".
St Georges day party Decorations
Alternatively you can save on the decision making and get a
complete St Georges day theme party pack (UK site)
from Party Domain. The pack contains, balloons, bunting, crowns, king and queen cardboard figure cut-outs, flags, roses and more.
For St George's day costumes and accessories click here This really is THE place to shop as the choice is huge for every type of party imaginable.
St Georges Day Party Games and Entertainment
OK let's get ready for lots of dragon slaying and princess saving games. There are a lot of good old English classic games that are traditionally played on St Georges day. Many are played in pubs and not so suited to small children and some require a bit of investment so why not try out my 'adapted' versions instead:
* Toss the Ring (Quoits)
Make your own quoits by securing 2 wooden pegs into the ground about 1 foot apart. Stand the kids about 6 feet away and get them to throw small rubber rings (cheap rubber rings bought from pet shops are perfect!) onto the stakes. Give points for the closest and extra points if they manage to get their ring on one of the post.
* Bash the Castle
This is my homemade version of skittles and great fun for those budding knights who want to do battle. Secure a long piece of rope to a ball by first putting the ball in a netting sack or cloth bag and then tying the rope to it. A football is perfect. Tie the rope to a high branch of a tree or to a swing frame so that the ball hangs about 6 inches off the ground. The ball should be able to swing freely. Make some skittles (castle walls) by filling several litre plastic drinks bottles with sand to weigh them down and arrange these on the ground below the ball and rope. You could even paint the bottles first in different colors. The children take it in turns to 'bash the castle' by pulling the rope back and then letting the ball swing. You could have one special skittle in the middle which is the gate of the castle and when that is knocked down the game is over, and the kid who knocked it down is declared king of the castle.
* Dragons Eye
Get a large wooden board (you know that one at the bottom of the shed!) and bang several long nails into it but make sure to leave the nails sticking out a couple of inches. Paint a number next to each nail with the center nail being marked as the 'Dragon’s eye'. Hang the board on a wall or tree and the kids take turns to toss a plastic or rubber ring at the board with the aim of getting the dragon’s eye or as many points as possible.
* Dragon Chase
You need lots of kids for this game and a large space. Select one person to be the fearful dragon and everyone else are knights or princesses. The knights and princesses line up on one side of the garden except the fearful dragon who stands a few metres away. When the dragon shouts "Fire, fire", everyone must run down to the other side of the garden and past him whilst he tries to catch someone. Whoever is caught is turned into a dragon and becomes his partner and together they try to catch more people when the knights and princesses have to run the other way. The game continues until there is one person left to catch and he/she is declared the champion knight/princess.
* Slay the Dragon Piñata
This can be the finale to the party and is a great way for all those budding knights and princesses to test their skill at slaying the dragon. Fill the piñata with sweets, trinkets and chocolate golden coins. Get the kids to take turns at bashing it with a plastic sword or one made out of wood. Here's how to Make your own pinata
* Save the Princess
You need quite a few kids for this game and an odd number and preferably quite a bit of space. One person is chosen as the princess and the others divide into pairs with one of the pair being St. George and the other his horse. The horses form a circle and the St Georges form another larger circle around them. Meanwhile the princess goes and sits a few meters away. Either put on some music or get the kids to sing a rhyme and at the same time the horses must walk around clockwise whilst the St Georges walk around anti-clockwise. When the princess shouts "HELP", each St George must run to his horse, jump on his back and then they both race to save the princess. The first one to reach her is declared the hero.
Medieval Madness party This downloadable pack contains everything that you will need to get those knights wheeling and dealing. It's one for the slightly older kids(above 10 years). An improvisation/role-playing party, the kids each have a part and a basic understanding of the other characters and countries when they arrive in their costumes. Acting and interacting to achieve the objectives they’ve been given, a surprise murder occurs during the party (you need an adult male to play this shortened part), and then a medieval trial by ballot. Amazingly enough- they'll all work toward being judged the guilty one!
Other St Georges ay party Ideas
*Face painting
*Punch and Judy Show
*Cushion fight on a low plank with one person St George and the other the dragon
*Colouring dragon pictures
St Georges Day Party Food
Serve up good ol' English food like:
St Georges day party Prizes and Loot bags
If you decide to hand out prizes or small gifts at some time during the party, how about:
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