St. George's Day is traditionally observed on April 23 in England and a number of other countries. As St. George has been adopted as the patron saint of British Scouting, Hong Kong Scouts have a long established history of celebrating this day with a territory-wide rally and parade in Apri every year, from the movement's founding before WWI, and more consistently since WWII. This was typically the largest and most important annual gathering of Hong Kong Scouts, typically attended by thousands of Hong Kong Scouts in the earlier years, and tens of thousands of Scouts in the more recent past, and presided over by the Chief Scout and Governor of Hong Kong. In 1987, subsequent to the signing of the Sino-British accord related to the eventual handover of Hong Kong back to China and under Governor and Chief Scout Youde, the date for this annual rally was moved to sometime later in the Fall, hence breaking the long tradition of St. George's Day rallies. From 1987 onward, the annual rally has been held in the Fall, typically in October or November.