Patron Saints of the UK: The Four Days and Their Flowers

The patron saints of the UK

Four saints, four dates, four flowers. This is exactly the kind of set the test likes, because it can be asked in either direction: the date for a saint, or the saint for a nation.

Quick answer

The four patron saints are St David of Wales (1 March), St Patrick of Northern Ireland (17 March), St George of England (23 April) and St Andrew of Scotland (30 November). Only Northern Ireland and Scotland have an official holiday for their saint’s day.

Key takeaways

St David’s Day, Wales — 1 March.
St Patrick’s Day, Northern Ireland — 17 March.
St George’s Day, England — 23 April.
St Andrew’s Day, Scotland — 30 November.
Flowers: rose (England), thistle (Scotland), daffodil (Wales), shamrock (Northern Ireland).

The four saints and their days

Learn them in calendar order and they stay put:

1 March — St David’s Day, Wales
17 March — St Patrick’s Day, Northern Ireland
23 April — St George’s Day, England
30 November — St Andrew’s Day, Scotland

Which are public holidays

Only two. Official holiday status for the patron saint’s day belongs to Northern Ireland and Scotland alone. The days for England and Wales are no longer public holidays, though they are still celebrated.

The flower of each nation

The same question often comes the other way round, asking for the flower rather than the saint:

England — the rose
Scotland — the thistle
Wales — the daffodil
Northern Ireland — the shamrock

Chapter test: a modern, thriving society

Test yourself on this

Reading it once is not the same as being able to answer it. The chapter test uses the same format as the real Life in the UK Test.

Take the chapter test Free practice test 1 All questions on this topic

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Questions on this topic

Every question here was checked by hand against Life in the UK: A Guide for New Residents (3rd edition). How we check

1.Who is the patron saint of England?
- ASt Patrick
- BSt George
- CSt David
- DSt Andrew
St George's Day, for England, is 23 April. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us
2.Who is the patron saint of Scotland?
- ASt Patrick
- BSt George
- CSt David
- DSt Andrew
St Andrew's Day, for Scotland, is 30 November. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us
3.Who is the patron saint of Wales?
- ASt David
- BSt Patrick
- CSt George
- DSt Andrew
St David's Day, for Wales, is 1 March. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us
4.Who is the patron saint of Northern Ireland?
- ASt David
- BSt Patrick
- CSt George
- DSt Andrew
St Patrick's Day, for Northern Ireland, is 17 March. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us
5.On what date is St David’s Day?
- A23 April
- B30 November
- C1 March
- D17 March
St David's Day, for Wales, is 1 March. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us
6.On what date is St Patrick’s Day?
- A23 April
- B30 November
- C17 March
- D1 March
St Patrick's Day, for Northern Ireland, is 17 March. (Patron saints)
Think this is wrong? Tell us