Sant Jordi

Today, April 23rd, Catalonia celebrates its best holiday ever. I think in previous years I failed, somehow, to explain what St. George Day means to us, and how proud we are of it. This time I'll try to keep it simple. On this day, our Patron's Saint day, we Catalans exchange books and roses with each other. It's like our own Valentine's Day. Every bookstore puts a stall at the nearest square, avenue, or free space on the sidewalk, and florists sell roses on the streets too.

According to Wikipedia, roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23rd April 1616.

This year, it is expected that seven million roses (one at a time) and one and a half million books (a sum equal to 8% of annual turnover) will be sold on this day. There are many book signings and book launches on Sant Jordi, and many roses are sold to support charities.

Although it is in fact a working day, people fill the streets from morning to night and the atmosphere is festive and cheerful. If you ever plan to visit Barcelona, and want to see this city at its best, I strongly recommend you make your trip coincide with Sant Jordi Day, and take a walk through the Rambla.